Nikki Haley was hoping for a home game, but as expected, Donald Trump wins the Republican primary in South Carolina. Why do his promises fall on such fertile ground?
No, she doesn’t actually want to talk to reporters, says Karen Stevens, but still stands a little undecided in the parking lot of a military academy in Charleston. A campaign event for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has just ended there. Where Karen stands politically is quickly clear, even without words: the words “God, Guns & Trump” are emblazoned on her faded cap. She carries a Bible in a clear plastic bag. Your T-shirt: Trump. The sign in her hand: Trump.
The next day, as expected, the 77-year-old won the Republican primary in the US state of South Carolina against his competitor Nikki Haley, who suffered another defeat in her home country. The 52-year-old is considered by many to be the epitome of the establishment and simply cannot convince the majority of the party’s base. Trump, on the other hand, does, and more than that: “I believe he was chosen by God,” says Kathy Mogy in front of the hall in Columbia where Trump is celebrating his election victory.
Karen in the parking lot in Charleston also answered a few questions the day before the election, explaining that her primary concern this year was border protection. But she also mentions almost casually that she recently had four jobs at the same time. “It’s hard to stay informed when you work so much,” says Karen, emphasizing that the media lies anyway or only reports very selectively. This attitude comes up again and again in conversations beyond election campaign events – especially in rural areas. Like Karen, many people feel misunderstood by politics and have great distrust of the “mainstream media” and Washington in general.
Election campaign with fears of loss
Trump’s slogan is “Make America Great Again” for a reason. It speaks to a longing among the Republican base for supposedly lost Christian values, but also for a time when many people were objectively better off economically. His followers are united by the fear of loss in various forms. And the golf-playing real estate mogul with the golden skyscraper in Manhattan and a castle in Florida successfully sells himself to them all as a savior.
His recipe for success has basically remained the same since 2016: he brands the political system as corrupt and ineffective, and he offers simple explanations for complex economic problems. In contrast to other politicians who like to suggest “closeness to the people” with their shirt sleeves rolled up, Trump doesn’t even try to do so. This is exactly what makes him authentic to his followers. The fact that he is now faced with various criminal proceedings plays perfectly into the narrative of the selfless fighter for the little man.
“My father is a billionaire,” emphasized son Don Jr. at the campaign event in Charleston that Karen came to. “And if even I’m pissed in the supermarket, that means something.” He received a lot of applause for his statement that US tax money should flow into his own country and not in the form of aid to Ukraine. He repeatedly weaves conspiracy theories about the storming of the Capitol into his speech. At one point, Don Jr. suggests, without reference to reality, that he could face the death penalty because of his father’s trials. The implication: The system is against us, and therefore also against you.
Unemployment, stagnant wages, lack of infrastructure
Messages like these ensnare South Carolina, where nearly half of people now struggle to cover basic needs like rent, food and health insurance costs. Overall, the state’s economy has experienced an upswing since the corona pandemic. However, this is mainly focused on the large metropolitan areas and coastal areas that benefit from tourism.
Rural regions remain largely left behind – people there struggle with unemployment, stagnating wages and a lack of infrastructure. Almost all of South Carolina’s 46 counties have food deserts, meaning there is a lack of access to fresh, healthy food. People everywhere are facing higher prices than before the pandemic. In the US, this means that many have to pull out their credit cards for essential expenses and carry the debt from month to month.
Attempts to ingratiate themselves with black voters
The night before the primary, Trump speaks to an audience of majority black Republicans in Columbia at a fundraising gala. About a quarter of the state’s population is black, significantly more than the rest of the country. “A lot of people say that the black people like me because they were discriminated against so much,” Trump tries to find points of reference and then makes a comparison that, among others, the president of the civil rights organization NAACP later condemned as racist: He was also discriminated against Justice system suspended, Trump says, because of the criminal cases against him.
The audience claps, but it’s not really representative of his support among the black electorate – which traditionally supports Democrats in South Carolina and nationwide.
In the end, Trump’s victory on Saturday not only underlines his unbroken appeal to the predominantly white Republican party base. South Carolina is also considered a key state in the primaries: the results here usually reliably predict who will ultimately become the Republican top candidate. With one exception in 2012, the winner of South Carolina has always received the party’s nomination since 1980.