{"id":1962504,"date":"2023-07-01T21:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T01:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massive-crowd-invades-small-town-to-support-trump-despite-indictment\/"},"modified":"2023-07-02T09:25:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T13:25:15","slug":"massive-crowd-invades-small-town-to-support-trump-despite-indictment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massive-crowd-invades-small-town-to-support-trump-despite-indictment\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge crowd floods small town to back Trump despite indictment."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmassive-crowd-invades-small-town-to-support-trump-despite-indictment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1962504&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Thousands Gather in Pickens to Welcome Former President Trump<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PICKENS, S.C.\u2014This tiny city of about 3,000 people burgeoned to about ten times that size as throngs welcomed former President Donald Trump to a pre-July 4 celebration\u2014possibly a once-in<a title=\"Reality Bites Traders Who Chased Bubbles Last Year\" href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reality-bites-traders-who-chased-bubbles-last-year\/\">-a-lifetime event<\/a> for residents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump, in a July 1 speech at his first rally since being federally indicted in Florida, spent several minutes dissecting that case. He also promised to protect citizens\u2019 freedom and the American way of life that they cherish.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTo all of you, I have your back,\u201d he said to thousands of people who were jammed between vintage brick buildings along Main Street in 90-degree heat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is the heart of America here,\u201d U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told The Epoch Times prior to Trump\u2019s remarks, adding that she felt like she was in the midst of \u201ca great big party, just like all Trump rallies are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Greene also addressed a more sobering topic: the criminal charges Trump faces. \u201cNot only is he innocent of all the fake charges the left is throwing against him, but he is the only man that can save America and I\u2019m so happy to be here to support him.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5369580\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 600px;\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks to The Epoch Times before a speech she gave to support former President Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 election bid in Pickens, S.C., on July 1, 2023. (Janice Hisle\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<h2>Dangerous Precedent<\/h2>\n<p>Among those who waited in long lines and were thrilled to get inside the barricades for Trump\u2019s rally was Tina Tanner, 64, of Pickens. \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced this before, getting to actually see a former president,\u201d Tanner told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u2019t vote for Trump in 2016 but liked how he ran the country, so he won her vote in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seemed like the country was turning around; I just liked the things that were going on, especially with the economy \u2026 and he was aggressive with getting our country more respect in the world,\u201d Tanner said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tanner added that \u201cit\u2019s hard to know what to believe in the media,\u201d but based on what she has learned, the criminal charges against Trump seem to lack substance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe justice system just seems very biased,\u201d she said. The opposing party is pushing these charges and investigations against Trump and \u201csetting a precedent that they need to be concerned about,\u201d she said. \u201cIt may come back to shoot them in the foot.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5369585\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tina Tanner, 64, of Pickens, S.C., waits in line for a chance to see former President Donald Trump on July 1, 2023. (Courtesy of Michael Hisle)<\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During his speech, Trump read aloud parts of past court rulings that said, in essence, that U.S. presidents have \u201csole and complete discretion\u201d to determine which records are personal and which are presidential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, Trump said, to accuse him of illegally possessing or <a title=\"FBI Director Calls Legit Criticism Of Corrupt FBI \u2018Violence,\u2019 But We Weren\u2019t Born Yesterday\" href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-director-calls-legit-criticism-of-corrupt-fbi-violence-but-we-werent-born-yesterday-2\/\">mishandling classified documents<\/a> is \u201ca phony deal.\u201d The audience erupted with whistles and cheers after that remark.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Republican frontrunner accused Democrat President Joe Biden of \u201cweaponizing\u201d the American justice system as a form of \u201celection interference\u201d at a time when Trump is seeking to unseat him. Launching investigations and prosecutions of political rivals is the Democrats\u2019 \u201cnew form of cheating,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump also railed against Democrat prosecutor Fani Willis in Georgia, saying that her investigation into his challenge of the 2020 election is also a politically motivated one.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He alleged that people who recorded a phone conversation that included his protestations to the Georgia election officials may have violated Florida law, which requires both parties to consent to the recording.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If elected, Trump vowed to direct a \u201ccompletely overhauled DOJ to investigate every radical [district attorney] in America,\u201d a line that elicited loud cheers from the audience.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Pickens?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resident Ed Leese, who runs the \u201cPickens Local\u201d Facebook page and podcast, called Trump\u2019s rally \u201cthe biggest event, possibly, in the history of our town.\u201d He told The Epoch Times that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who hails from the nearby town of Central, helped bring the Trump rally to Pickens, unbeknownst to many people who almost drowned out Graham with loud, long \u201cboos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Leese, the idea for a Pickens rally surfaced after Graham visited a <a title=\"Huge crowd floods small town to back Trump despite indictment.\" href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massive-crowd-invades-small-town-to-support-trump-despite-indictment\/\">local azalea festival<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the city\u2019s namesake, Brigadier Gen. Andrew Pickens, is the source of an inspirational story related to America\u2019s independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\n<p>Trump referenced Pickens\u2019 legacy during his speech. During the Revolutionary War, Pickens faced \u201clong odds of victory,\u201d Trump said. \u201cPickens was given no chance.\u201d But the general vowed to \u201cnever retreat\u201d and \u201cnever, ever surrender,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump says he, too, follows that credo, noting that Pickens is credited with courageously leading troops in the Battle of Eutaw Springs in Charleston, South Carolina. That battle on Sept. 8, 1781, became a pivotal point in the war; the British lost control of the South from that point forward.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5369530\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 600px;\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>An estimated 30,000 people flooded the streets of tiny Pickens, S.C., for a pre-Independence Day rally supporting former President Donald Trump as he is campaigning to retake the White House on July 1, 2023. (Janice Hisle\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leese thinks the Trump campaign probably liked the idea of coming to Pickens because its Main Street provides an all-American-looking backdrop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Leese put it, the downtown looks and feels like the Mayberry, the fictional town portrayed in \u201cThe Andy Griffith Show,\u201d a 1960s TV series, where everybody knows everyone else.<\/p>\n<h2>The Booing Continued<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Graham took to the stage prior to Trump\u2019s appearance, he tried to quiet the jeers and heckling without success by repeatedly saying, \u201cThank y\u2019all. Thank y\u2019all for comin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He pushed through his speech, saying, \u201cLet me tell you why I want to help President Trump \u2026 I was on the front row of his presidency and I\u2019d never seen anybody this tough for America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graham called Trump \u201cthe most <a title=\"\u201cA Worthy Recipient\u201d- Pro-Life Group Names Trump Pro-Life \u201cPerson Of The Year\u201d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-worthy-recipient-pro-life-group-names-trump-pro-life-person-of-the-year\/\">pro-life president<\/a> in my lifetime,\u201d and praised him for appointing conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, returning authority for that procedure back to the states. He also commended Trump for his toughness that made foreign powers respect America.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5216536\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 3300px;\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in Washington on Jan. 24, 2023. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe need him back in the White House right now. So let me tell you how you win elections, folks,\u201d Graham said. \u201cYou get people together that don\u2019t agree all the time to agree on the most important things. My hope is we can bring this party together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He said Trump is the only Republican candidate who \u201chas the ability to change this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe did it once, he can do it again. And I\u2019ve gonna help him all over this country \u2026 and he is going to win South Carolina. This is the pathway to the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump later thanked Graham for his support, which again drew booing. But Trump said that Graham has been known to step up when he\u2019s really needed. The crowd chuckled when Trump said he would \u201cstraighten him out.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Flip-Flopping\u2019 Causes Disapproval<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catherine Whiten, who lives in Graham\u2019s hometown, told The Epoch Times that she and others disapprove of Graham\u2019s \u201cflip-flopping\u201d on Trump.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After violence erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Graham turned his back on Trump and said he was fed up with Trump\u2019s opposition to the election results. Graham also praised Biden as the incoming president. Since then, Graham has been on the outs with many Trump supporters.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whiten, decked out in patriotic Trump gear, said she told her son and daughter-in-law, \u201cYou were just part of history\u201d after they attended the Trump rally.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5369589\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 600px;\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Catherine Whiten of Central, S.C., is pictured in Liberty, S.C.,<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PICKENS, S.C.\u2014With a population of 3,000, Pickens witnessed an extraordinary surge as thousands gathered to greet ex-President Donald Trump at a pre-July 4 celebration. This unique event may never be repeated, making it a memorable experience for locals. Trump, addressing his first rally since his federal indictment in Florida, dedicated a few minutes to analyzing the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1196,"featured_media":1962505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Huge crowd floods small town to back Trump despite indictment.","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1962504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Huge crowd floods small town to back Trump despite indictment.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1962504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1962505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1962504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1962504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1962504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}