‘Grab any cheerleaders?’ Fans decry Trump’s S.C. football appearance as a ‘terrible look’
A University of South Carolina alumnus and donor said he would still keep his upcoming meeting about funding an endowment for the school’s Honors College.
But the donor was furious and appalled at the school for introducing former President Donald Trump on the field at halftime of last November’s football game against Clemson. Dressed in a blue suit and striped tie, Trump smiled, clapped and waved to the crowd, which showered him with a mixture of cheers and jeers.
“Give me a reason to believe in USC again,” the email to Athletics Director Ray Tanner said. “Give me a reason to consider establishing an endowment. Because at this moment I’m questioning the leadership of the athletic department and the university, and wondering if my money is better off being spent elsewhere, where truth, morality, and human decency matter.”
He continued, “We can’t wait around and hope Trump will fade away and cause no more damage. He has proven time and time again that there is no limit to how far he will go to advance his evil interests — and make no mistake, he is evil.”
Injecting a political spectacle, especially a Trump spectacle, into a revered rivalry game dating to 1896 prompted impassioned messages from a variety of school stakeholders and concerned citizens, according to emails obtained by Raw Story from the University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster's office. Raw Story obtained the emails via the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
The extent to which donors followed through on their threats is unclear. But the division was a harbinger of political turbulence in the lead-up to Saturday’s South Carolina Republican presidential primary.
Polls show Trump with a commanding lead over his last remaining Republican challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
But Haley has announced she will remain in the race regardless of the South Carolina primary result — a decision fueled in part by anti-Trump sentiment among a minority of Republicans who don’t believe the former president is fit to serve.
'Shame'
A South Carolina alumna’s email to Tanner exemplifies that sentiment.
The alumna said she and her husband changed their plans to travel from Texas to Columbia, S.C., for the rivalry football game, calling it “sullied” and Trump’s on-field presence “a huge slap in the face, especially to your female students, staff and alumna.”
They went to New Orleans instead and vowed to “never attend another game.”
“Let me be perfectly clear: Trump's attendance at the game isn't the problem,” she wrote. “It's that you insulted half of your fan base by letting him walk onto the field. I hope your Republican donors can fill the gap left by Democrats who, like me, are for the first time ashamed to be Gamecocks.”
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Trump had his turn upstaging Haley in her home state. As for university President Michael Amiridis and Tanner, they received emails expressing outrage at the situation.
“It was a dark day as far as I'm concerned,” said an email from a 62-year-old fan who said she has attended games since she was 15. “I'm glad I took a stand and didn't attend. I have zero pride in USC right now and it is something that will be difficult to forget.”
One fan had the same reaction to Trump’s appearance at the South Carolina game as someone who emailed the University of Iowa about Trump’s appearance at the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry football game two months earlier.
“Did Trump grab any cheerleaders?” said an email from an alumnus in Lexington, Ky. “Shame on the University.”
The University of Iowa, in contrast to the University of South Carolina, did not allow Trump on its football field when Trump attended a game last year. The University of Iowa also went out of its way to say that the former president’s presence did not indicate an endorsement.
University of South Carolina Assistant Vice President Jeff Stensland told Raw Story that the school does not invite political candidates to games, noting that Trump attended at the governor’s invitation.
“Former President Donald Trump was a guest of Gov. Henry McMaster, the state’s top elected leader,” Stensland said. “Because this game was the ‘Palmetto Bowl’ featuring South Carolina’s two largest colleges, USC planned to recognize the governor on the field during the contest. The governor chose to have the former president join him on the field.”
Stensland did not address whether the university made any effort to discourage the governor from bringing Trump onto the field.
Neither Trump’s campaign nor McMaster’s office responded to Raw Story’s requests for comment.
The emails obtained by Raw Story showed that the University of South Carolina recognized the potential for Trump-related controversy, and it gathered top leadership to discuss how to craft a message to the public.
An agenda for a leadership meeting the week of the game referred to Trump by his initials, “DJT.”
The agenda offered possible approaches for handling Trump’s appearance, such as “DJT attending as a guest of Governor” and extending him “every courtesy as you would a guest in your home” and “Southern hospitality regardless of your political persuasion.”
But it didn’t work out that way.
‘Don't gaslight me’
Some of the criticism articulated in documents obtained by Raw Story centered around a post on the University of South Carolina athletic department’s official account on X, formerly Twitter.
The account featured a photo of Trump and the governor on the field. It said, “Welcome South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and his guest, former president Donald Trump, to Williams-Brice Stadium.” The post also used a hand emoji connoting something cool, plus university-specific hashtags.
A University of South Carolina class of 2004 alumnus wrote that it “crossed a line that should be sacred in educational and athletic institutions.”
Another alum wrote, “The Gamecocks Athletics social media essentially promoted a political campaign of a person whose values and character are the complete opposite of the university’s I graduated from. I say this sincerely as someone who can accept political differences, but this is an entirely different situation. Morality matters.”
Even Trump’s introduction when taking the field appears to have been influenced by his staff.
The emails obtained by Raw Story include a reference to the script used to introduce Trump and McMaster as coming “from Campaign staff.”
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It said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please direct your attention to the 25 yard line to welcome Governor Henry McMaster and the 45th President of the United States, President Donald J Trump.”
The university responded to the angry emails with a canned response: “The University of South Carolina has not invited any active candidates for office to its events, including football games. We do welcome, however, all visitors invited by our fans and supporters who attend those events.”
That prompted indignation and mockery.
“Don't gaslight me,” said an email from an alumnus. “I saw what you did with Trump. It was shameful.”
The alumnus and donor with the endowment conversation wrote, “To suggest that USC merely welcomed a ‘visitor’ invited by a ‘fan’ to ‘attend’ is frankly insulting.”
“Oh, wonderful!” the 2004 alumnus said. “I must have missed the memo about the new ‘Bring a Guest onto the Field’ policy at halftime. It's quite a progressive move, really. Next time, I'll be sure to extend an invitation to my choice of high-profile guests.”
As for the football game itself, Clemson defeated South Carolina, 16-7.
Backlash directed at the governor
McMaster’s office also received dozens of complaints between Nov. 14 through Dec. 9 about Trump’s presence at the game, according to documents Raw Story obtained through a South Carolina Freedom of Information Act request.
Many of the letters came before the game, asking the governor to reconsider the invite.
“Please, please rescind your offer to Trump to attend the Carolina-Clemson football game this Saturday,” one letter from a Columbia, S.C., resident said. “Let the game be about the rivalry between the two South Carolina teams and not about him. It will be a logistical nightmare and people just want to enjoy the game, not politics.”
Another plea to uninvite Trump read:
“Please do not invite former president Trump to Carolina Clemson game Saturday,” said a Lugoff, S.C., resident. “This would be a huge disruption to students and fans and take away from the excitement of the day. This event should not be turned into a political rally. The traffic hassle, road closures and general disruption would not be appreciated by fans, alumni and students.”
Just one letter of 36 obtained by Raw Story was complimentary. It came from a man who identified himself as Kai Kroeger, the All-American punter for the University of South Carolina football team. He asked to meet McMaster and Trump.
“I have a great deal of respect for you both, and I am grateful to be living and playing in the great state of South Carolina,” Kroeger wrote. “Please let me know if this is a possibility and thank you for your support of our program!”
Kroeger could not immediately be reached for comment.
Others worried about the message Trump’s visit would send to students.
“You are not setting a good example, especially when my 17-year-old asks why OUR Governor, invited a known sexual predator to our beloved Carolina-Clemson match!” said a resident of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. “Thanks for making South Carolina look like a bunch of backwards idiots!”
‘Leftover Confederacy’
Courts have found Trump civilly liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, ordering him to pay more that $88 million combined in damages.
A judge also ordered Trump to pay $355 million for his liability in a New York business fraud case.
Trump also faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two cases involving his alleged efforts to overturn 2020 election results.
Trump’s legal turmoil factored into some of the angry messages the University of South Carolina received. The governor’s office received a card with an image of a forest that said “Thinking of You” in curly script surrounded by two hearts — which the author drew an X through.
The handwritten letter in cursive script blasted McMaster for turning the game into “a political rally” and questioned why the governor supported Trump over his gubernatorial predecessor, Haley.
“There are hundreds of inmates in S.C. jails who have more morality and fewer charges against them than Trump,” the letter said. “You seem to live in a world of the leftover Confederacy.”
“If I understand correctly, you initiated the visit of former President Donald Trump to the Carolina-Clemson game. If this is true, can you explain the invitation in light of the insurrection on January 6th after the former president lost the election?” wrote a South Carolina resident and alumnus of the university. “I realize I am in the minority in our state, but I refuse to forget the former president's actions while in office and after the people of our nation voted him out of office.”
Another alumnus wrote, “I'd like you to know the embarrassment felt by bringing Donald Trump to last week's football game … I can't imagine why you would recognize any individual facing criminal indictments. I'm sure you are aware that the state of Colorado recently ruled that Mr. Trump had engaged in insurrection on January 6, 2021. It was a terrible look for our university and state.”
A resident of Adams Run, S.C., wrote: “Once again you have reinforced your inability to govern anything except maybe your hair … My only wish is that in addition to the booing he received is that paper cups had been thrown at both of you — hopefully with the beer still in them. You are an embarrassment to SC. You literally make me want to vomit.”
Taxpayer toll for the spectacle
Other letters expressed concerns about the toll increased security and traffic for a former president to visit the game would take on taxpayers and local resources.
A resident of Conway, S.C., wrote to the governor’s office calling McMaster a “fraud and liar” who should be investigated for the misuse of taxpayer money.
“McMasters disgusting tramping of the POS trump at Saturdays Football game was a violation of the use of State owned higher education property and money,” the resident wrote. “He deceived the people by turning a highly anticipated game into a political rally. I TURNED IT OFF AT HALF TIME IN TOTAL DISGUST.”
One former South Carolina voter who said he “voted solid GOP in NC for decades” said Trump’s visit was “ruining the game” and bemoaned his inability to “unload my tickets but no one wants them even at face value — because of Trump.”
“He will screw up the traffic, and logistics for those going to the game,” the Fayetteville, N.C., resident wrote.
Trump’s appearance cost upward of $17,000 in additional security costs, according to records from the University of South Carolina’s Athletic Department received by the South Carolina Daily Gazette. The university has yet to fulfill Raw Story’s similar Freedom of Information Act request from Jan. 25.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Department of Public Safety and City of Columbia, S.C., said they did not have documents responsive to Raw Story's Freedom of Information Act requests.
Trump has a long history racking up security costs in small towns where he campaigns, failing to pay nearly $2 million in public safety-related municipal bills through 2020, according to an Business Insider tally.
A year-long series of investigations by Raw Story found that eight of Trump’s 2024 campaign visits cost local taxpayers at least $100,000 in total — expenses that the Trump campaign refuses to pay and which local municipalities end up covering.
Haley’s campaign paid numerous security bills, according to her most recent Federal Election Commission financial disclosure report.
In response to a Raw Story investigation, Haley in October called on Trump to pay his security bills.
Trump has continued to visit South Carolina ahead of the state’s Republican primary election on Saturday, polling at 58 percent versus Haley’s 35 percent, according to The Hill.
Trump is scheduled to rally today at another South Carolina college — The Citadel — which has recently sought to deflect questions about an honorary degree it bestowed upon former Trump lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who faces criminal charges in Georgia and a slew of other legal troubles.