COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s State House will be closed to the public on Saturday as part of security measures for former President Donald Trump’s campaign visit, the state Department of Public Safety confirmed.
Access to the State House complex will be limited to the east side of the capitol grounds along Sumter Street. All other areas of the State House complex will be restricted, public safety officials said.
Trump is coming to South Carolina, which holds the first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary, to roll out his leadership team in the state as he seeks the White House for the third time. The event is by invitation only.
A permit issued for the event describes it as a press conference and rally with up to 500 attendees.
It is highly unusual for the State House grounds, which sit in the center of Columbia’s downtown and adjacent to the state’s flagship public university, to be closed to the public. The grounds are historically and regularly the site of public gatherings, from ceremonies to protests.
Secret Service and advance event planners were at the State House Tuesday walking through the building ahead of Saturday’s visit.
South Carolina has voted for the eventual GOP presidential nominee every cycle since 1980, except in 2012 when the Republican Party nominated Mitt Romney.
Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham are scheduled to be at the event with Trump.
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