Former President Donald Trump is making a campaign stop Saturday in South Carolina at the state’s top-billed college football game, which happens to be in the backyard of one of his opponents in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
Mr. Trump is set to attend the rivalry game between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University, known as the Palmetto Bowl. The contest will be hosted by the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the state capital of Columbia.
The game is taking place in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s old stomping grounds. She is also a graduate of Clemson, and in 2021 received a lifetime appointment to the university’s board of trustees.
Mrs. Haley’s stock has risen with voters in the crowded field of Republicans vying for the party’s presidential nomination, with polling in Iowa showing that the former U.N. ambassador is tied for second place with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has consistently maintained an iron grip on his frontrunner status.
Mr. Trump’s campaign said the former president “continues to crush” his opponents in South Carolina. A poll from Winthrop University released this month showed that Mr. Trump holds a 52% favorability rating among voters in the Palmetto State — a 35-point lead over Mrs. Haley on her home turf.
The Washington Times reached out to Mrs. Haley’s campaign about whether she would also attend the rivalry game, but did not receive an immediate response.
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks (5-6) will square off the Clemson Tigers (7-4) at 7:30 p.m.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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