Former president visits Pickens

PICKENS — The city of Pickens kicked off its Independence Day weekend celebration with a visit from former president and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump. Thousands packed together as the 90-plus degree temperatures bounced off the black asphalt in the city’s downtown.  

“The heat is hot as hell out here,” Trump said. “But we have to keep going. We have to trudge forward. Go home, take an ice-cold shower, you’ll be fine.”

Campaign volunteers, staffers and first responders passed around boxes of water to the crowd. Pickens Police Chief Randal Beach told The Journal in July that his department helped with “close to 100 issues with the heat that were recognized prior to fainting or exhaustion” using the “pre-established and well-planned cooling stations.” He later added that less than 25 people were taken to the local fire department for more extensive treatment. 

A wide range of estimates for attendance varied, with officials guessing between 20,000 to 50,000 attendees. Some people even waited hours overnight to see the former president. 

“It’s great to be with you — we’ve had great success together,” Trump said in the opening of his speech. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be to kick off the 4th of July weekend than right here on Main Street with thousands of proud, hardworking South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country.”

Trump continued his speech by touching on his familiar hot-button topics. This included calling President Joe Biden a “criminal and a liar,” cries against “fake news,” calls to lock down a “wide-open” southern border and continued claims of a rigged presidential election in 2020. 

Trump’s guests

Before Trump even stepped up to the podium, a flurry of big-name guests spoke. U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia spoke first, followed by U.S. Congressmen Russell Fry and William Timmons and wrapping up with state Treasurer Curtis Loftis. 

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a native of Pickens County, was booed by many during the entirety of his seven-minute speech. Some screamed at Graham, calling him a “traitor” and others yelled to “get him off stage.” The crowd behind Graham could be seen giving him an emphatic thumbs-down while others cupped their hands around their mouths to echo their boos. 

Trump later discussed Graham in his speech. 

“We’re going to love him. We’re going to love him,” he said to more boos. “I know, it’s half and half, but when I need some of those liberal votes, he’s always there to help and get them. We’ve got some pretty liberal people, but he’s good. He’s good. … Even he makes mistakes, on occasion.”

After Graham finished, Gov. Henry McMaster took the podium amidst a warm welcome from the Pickens crowd. McMaster was the first of state officials to vow his support for Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. 

ATAX or no ATAX?

Following Trump’s visit, the city of Pickens and Pickens County were left with around $30,000 in expenses for overtime paid out to EMS, police and other emergency services that day. For the county, those workers were paid out of the general fund within their normal pay cycle. 

Contrary to some beliefs at the time, that had been the plan from the beginning, according to Pickens County Councilman Alex Saitta. 

Siatta, who represents the Pickens area on council, told The Journal in an email Tuesday the agreement was that Trump would pay for “his air travel, his ground transportation, his staff and the stage” and the secret service would pay “for the TSA workers, the metal detectors, the metal gating and protecting the President at all times.” 

Debate followed about whether or not that money should be reimbursed back into the county’s accommodations tax (ATAX) fund. ATAX money comes from tourism events and is collected when someone stays in a hotel or spends money at a restaurant. 

“Since the Independence Day event brought in 50,000 to a town of 3,500, some wanted to pay the $30,000 out of the ATAX/tourism account instead of the general fund account,” Saitta said. “That made more sense because of all the out of towners that came to the event.”

As of December, the county is still on track to reimburse itself using the ATAX fund. In August, attorney Les Hendricks recommended the county fill out an ATAX application and have it reviewed by an advisory committee before the full council votes on it.