Former President Donald Trump is attending his second college football game in an early primary state this year as he looks to upstage former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Trump is slated to attend the gridiron battle between the University of South Carolina and Clemson, Haley’s alma mater, on Saturday. The trip comes as Haley has emerged as a threat to the GOP nomination for the former president, alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
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While DeSantis is firmly in second place in Iowa, Haley has solidified second place in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to polling averages. Trump leads both candidates in all three states.
In the Palmetto State, Trump holds a wide lead over the field with 49.3%, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, with Haley at 18.8% and DeSantis at 10.5%. The polling average also shows Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) with 8.8%.
Since Scott dropped out of the Republican primary earlier this month, all three of the leading contenders have been vying for his supporters.
Haley is now the only South Carolinian in the race, seemingly giving her a major edge in her home state’s primary. DeSantis’s campaign announced several former Scott endorsers flipping to support the Florida governor shortly after Scott dropped out, and Trump’s campaign announced six former Scott supporters who flipped to the former president on Saturday.
The South Carolina Republican presidential primary is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2024, and is slated to be the fourth GOP primary contest after the Iowa caucus, New Hampshire primary, and Nevada caucus. The former president’s campaign is slated to involve several trips between primary states and the courtroom.
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Trump will be making his second appearance at a college football game this season after previously appearing at the Iowa-Iowa State game in September. The former president was warmly received at a fraternity house prior to the game in Ames but received a mixed reaction at the stadium, where boos could be heard.
The football game between Clemson and the University of South Carolina is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on SEC Network. Haley has not announced whether she will be in attendance.
