More than half a dozen clashes between rallygoers and protesters interrupted President Donald Trump at an appearance in Clemson, South Carolina, on Wednesday night, where he had traveled to boost the campaign of Sen. Darline Graham.

It was not the first Trump rally in recent days marred by protests. But the drumbeat of outbursts, followed by angry reactions by the president and his supporters, showed the deep political divide in the country as the Nov. 3 elections draw near.

Trump is in the midst of a six-day barnstorm across some the country’s most conservative states, seeking to shore up support among his fans at a time when Republicans are increasingly pessimistic about whether they can retain control of Congress.

South Carolina is among a raft of traditionally Republican strongholds that have become battlegrounds this cycle. Polling in these places shows that Trump’s policies on tariffs and the war in Iran — and their effect on the prices of gas, diesel and groceries for everyday Americans — have threatened the party’s fortunes.

The clashes Wednesday between protesters, who interrupted Trump with screams and expletives, and rallygoers who responded with similar aggression, underscored how much is at stake in these midterms for a deeply polarized electorate.

One after the next, security officers escorted the protesters out of the arena, while the president’s fans whooped, jeered and chanted “USA.” Trump did little to de-escalate the atmosphere.

“They’re terrible people,” he said after hearing one disruption.

“Who’s that guy who threw a punch?” he asked after another, appearing to celebrate when a rallygoer physically confronted a demonstrator.

Trump had traveled to this livestock facility in the northwest corner of South Carolina to help Graham at a time when polls show her in an unexpectedly tight race against her Democratic opponent, Dr. Annie Andrews.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham over the summer to fill out the remainder of the term of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July. The president then endorsed her for a full six-year term.

His choice of Graham, who had no prior political experience, in a tough political environment for Republicans has forced the party to pour resources into defending a seat in a state Trump carried in 2024 by more than 17 points.

On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report shifted the Senate race toward Andrews for the second time in less than a month, this time from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.

The rally showed signs of helping Graham, who needs to burnish her conservative credentials in a region called the Upstate, where ultraconservative voters were known to be critical of her brother for what they viewed as his soft stance on immigration and history of compromising with Democrats.

Trump drew a full house to the facility, and the crowd whooped and hollered at his punchlines on immigration and the media with energy reminiscent of his rallies in prior cycles. He invited Graham, who had spoken earlier in the evening, to join him onstage.

“This area, and most importantly its values, are ingrained in me,” said Graham, who was raised in the Upstate. “God, family, country.”

Earlier in the night, Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Russell Fry, who ran against Graham in a bitterly fought primary election, vouched for her conservative bona fides.

Trump’s extensive efforts on behalf of Graham helped her win the primary election, but not without avoiding a runoff election against Rep. Ralph Norman, vice chair of the hard-line Freedom Caucus. Counties in the Upstate broke for Norman, who has been at best a reluctant supporter of Graham’s general election candidacy.

On a podcast episode that aired Wednesday, Norman said he would vote for Graham, but his family would not. Norman also said he would not do any events with his former opponent — a promise he appeared to keep Wednesday, when he was nowhere to be found at Clemson.

Trump spoke for about an hour and a half. At one point, he said he was in a “good mood.” At other moments, he looked into the crowd and saw men with their middle fingers in the air, then watched as security officers escorted them from the hall.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Emily Davies/Doug Mills
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