Donald Trump is set to travel to South Carolina amid potential key updates involving his criminal and civil trials that could dent his 2024 presidential campaign.
The former president will appear in Columbia to watch the Palmetto Bowl college football game between the University of South Carolina's Gameco*cks and Clemson University's Tigers on Saturday, November 25.
Trump remains a popular figure in South Carolina, a state where he beat President Joe Biden by 12 points in 2020. He is also the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential primary, where South Carolina is a key early voting state, and holds a commanding lead in polls over the GOP hopefuls, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Trump will be in South Carolina this weekend to watch the football game at the request of Gov. Henry McMaster. Brandon Charochak, a spokesman for McMaster, said in a statement: "Gov. McMaster and Lt. Gov. Evette look forward to joining President Trump this Saturday to show him first-hand the passion and tradition that makes this rivalry the greatest in college football."
The former president will also be arriving amid continuing pressure he is facing in the criminal and civil cases he's involved in. There has also been a recent potential crucial update in a lawsuit that aims to stop Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot in Colorado over allegations he violated his Constitutional oath on January 6.
The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed hear an appeal on a lawsuit brought forward by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) watchdog group and Republican figures, which is trying to ban Trump from running for the White House while citing section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The section states that a person who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" after taking an oath of office to support the Constitution should be barred from running for office again.
Lower court judge Sarah B. Wallace ruled that Trump had "engaged in insurrection" on January 6, but should remain on the state's primary ballot as the wording of the 14th Amendment does not specifically mention preventing people running for the presidency. The Colorado Supreme Court has now agreed to hear an appeal on the decision, with oral arguments scheduled to begin on December 6.
Similar lawsuits in New Hampshire, Florida, Minnesota and Michigan, which also tried to disqualify Trump from running for president while citing the 14th Amendment have been thrown out by courts, although some are being appealed.
Trump's legal team has been contacted for comment via email.
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Elsewhere, Trump's rhetoric has come under scrutiny from prosecutors who are arguing the former president needs a gag order imposed on him.
In New York, where Trump is facing a civil fraud trial accused of fraudulently inflating the value of his properties in financial statements, court officials argued in legal filings that the gag order imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron should be reinstated while citing threatening messages sent to the judge and his court staff.
A New York appeals court temporarily paused the gag order while examining arguments from Trump and his attorneys that the order is "unconstitutional" and violates the former president's First Amendment rights while on a White House campaign.
According to an affidavit from Charles Hollon, who works in the Public Safety Department's Judicial Threats Assessment Unit, there are 275 single space pages worth of "threatening, harassing, disparaging and antisemitic" messages and voicemails which have been left for Engoron and his court staff since early October.
Hollon argued that the "deluge" of messages, which threaten the safety of court staff, is the type of "countervailing interest" that warrants the reintroduction of the gag order.
"The messages received by Justice Engoron and his staff every day has created an ongoing security risk for the judge, his staff and his family," Hollon said.
"The implementation of the limited gag orders resulted in a decrease in the number of threats, harassment, and disparaging messages that the judge and his staff received. However, when Mr. Trump violated the gag orders, the number of threatening, harassing and disparaging messages increased."
In a court filing submitted on Thanksgiving, the Department of Justice notified the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals of the documents in New York. The appeals court is reviewing whether to narrow down the gag order imposed on Trump by Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the federal trial into Trump's alleged criminal attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
In the November 23 filings, Cecil Vandevender, an assistant special counsel for the Department of Justice, said the affidavit in New York was proof of the "ongoing threats and harassment" surrounding Trump, which prosecutors argue is a key reason why the gag order in the federal case should remain.
In a statement one day after his gag order in New York was paused, Trump said the "unconstitutional" gag order in his federal election case should also be "speedily reversed."
"The Gag Order appoints an unelected federal judge to censor what the leading candidate for President of the United States may say to all Americans, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses," Trump added.
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