Trump returns to campaign rallies, draws thousands to small South Carolina city ahead of July 4

By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

PICKENS, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday marked a return to the large-scale rallies of his previous presidential campaigns, speaking to thousands gathered in the streets of a small South Carolina city on a blazing day ahead of the July 4 holiday. Trump spoke for more than an hour, telling the roaring crowd that “there’s nowhere else I’d rather be to kick off the Fourth of July weekend than right here on Main St., with thousands of hardworking South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country.” The heavily Republican area is a popular one for GOP hopefuls as they aim to attract support for South Carolina’s first-in-the-South presidential primary.