Former President Donald Trump, over the weekend, attended a college football game in South Carolina. 

According to CNN, Trump, on Saturday, attended the Palmetto Bowl.

Per the outlet:

The Palmetto Bowl is an annual matchup between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University, the two largest universities in the state, and is taking place this year in the state capital of Columbia. Gov. Henry McMaster, a University of South Carolina alumnus who has endorsed Trump, recently said that the former president had a “standing invitation” to attend the game.

It is likely, however, that this was not just a night out for Trump.

A strategic outing?

Commentators are pointing out the fact that Trump is the clear frontrunner to win the Republican Party's 2024 nomination in 2024, and South Carolina is one of the key early states in the primary schedule.

The Associate Press reports:

South Carolina falls fourth in the GOP voting calendar after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, with the state’s first-in-the-South primary coming up on Feb. 24, 2024. Several Southern states follow on March 5 as part of the Super Tuesday slate that puts more delegates up for grabs than any other day in the primary campaign. Trump’s South Carolina and Super Tuesday romps in 2016 gave him a delegate lead he would never relinquish.

So, it is likely that Trump was not just there to watch the game. This, of course, does not mean that Trump was not there to watch the game.

Trump highlighted the political aspect of his visit to South Carolina with a statement that he released just before attending the game.

The statement reads:

Today, President Donald J. Trump expanded his South Carolina Leadership Team to over 80 current and former Republican officials endorsing his campaign, including some who previously supported Senator Tim Scott. President Trump has the most endorsements of any candidate running for President, including more South Carolina legislators than all opposing candidates combined.

Trump's attendance

The former president has posted to his Truth Social account several videos from his trip to the Palmetto Bowl.

One video captures the roaring ovation that Trump received at halftime, when he came down to the field. Take a look and listen:

This is one of many videos from the night that shows the crowd going wild for Trump. The Associated Press reports that, during the game, Trump watched from a box with McMaster.

You certainly would not know from his appearance, on Saturday, that Trump is facing countless Democrat-backed lawsuits or even that he is running for president. He is looking as fresh and energetic as ever.