Former President Donald Trump is preparing to host an “intimate” event in South Carolina later in January to launch the next phase of his presidential campaign.
The event, set in Columbia, South Carolina, will not be a rally, and is intended for Trump to “roll out his leadership operation” in the early primary state, Politico reported Thursday.
“The campaign has been building out its infrastructure and expanding its team for the last few months — doing the necessary work that may not always be public-facing. This is the perfect time to start doing events in early primary states and show that President Trump is the only one who can stop the Left’s radical agenda and take back the White House,” a campaign official told the Daily Caller.
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 31: Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he greets people during a New Years event at his Mar-a-Lago home on December 31, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump continues to run for a second term as the President of the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Trump’s campaign is honing in on early voting states as part of their 2023 strategy by rolling out “top-level teams,” the former president’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, told the Caller in early January. (RELATED: Trump Campaign Reveals Plans For 2023)
Trump has been criticized for having a relatively quiet campaign launch in the first two months since his announcement. His team has rebuked the claim, pointing to how they are preparing to “wage an overwhelming campaign,” Trump attending several events and releasing videos of his policy proposals.
Trump has attended events with the Republican Jewish Coalition, America First Policy Institute, Log Cabin Republicans and the 14th Annual President’s Conference of Torah Umesorah. He also went to several galas, participated in the Georgia Senate runoff tele-rally and has met with members of Congress, Cheung said.
Trump announced his official launch for the 2016 presidential run in June 2015 and held a rally days later. His team has yet to publicly announce any rallies on the calendar.