President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in South Carolina on Wednesday night was repeatedly disrupted, with at least six protesters interrupting the event during its first 20 minutes.
The interruptions came as Trump campaigned for Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham and the Republican candidate he has selected to succeed him in the US Senate.
Trump also renewed his attacks on Graham’s Democratic challenger, Annie Andrews. He again used the derogatory nickname “Tranny Annie” while criticizing what he described as her support for transgender policies.
Addressing the protesters from the stage, Trump alleged that they had been paid to disrupt the rally.
“It’s all paid for. They’re a bunch of losers. They’re terrible people. They’re terrible,” Trump said. “The people that pay them are sick, and they want to destroy our country.”
He then urged his supporters to turn out in force at the polls, telling them to approach the election as though he himself were on the ballot.
“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot because when I’m on the ballot, we get 29 percent more votes, all three times,” Trump said.
Several minutes later, another protester rose in the crowd directly in front of the former president.
A Trump supporter then appeared to punch the protester, drawing praise from the president.
President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at the T. Ed Garrison Arena on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in Pendleton, South Carolina
A protester is removed from a campaign rally hosted by US President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University in Pendleton, South Carolina, US, on October 21, 2026
Trump paused to ask whether people in the audience were safe before commenting on the confrontation from the stage.
“That was incredible,” Trump said. “Who threw that punch?”
“The guy stood up, and he just let that little—and he got whacked, man,” Trump added.
Trump compared the supporter who appeared to throw the punch to Evander Holyfield, the former American professional boxing champion who competed from 1984 to 2011. Holyfield was also attending the South Carolina rally in support of Trump and Graham.
Earlier this month, Andrews responded to Trump’s insult at another campaign appearance, describing the name-calling as a distraction.
“If name calling would help lower gas prices and grocery prices, he can call me all the names he wants,” Andrews said at the time.
Roughly an hour into Wednesday night’s event, a further protest interrupted Trump’s remarks, prompting supporters to respond with chants of “USA, USA.”
Trump thanked law enforcement officers for quickly escorting the protesters from the venue.
He also repeated his earlier pledge to send $5,000 checks to every American adult if Republicans retain control of both the US House and Senate following the November midterm elections.
This is a developing news story. Check back for more updates.