Donald Trump, the newly minted presumptive GOP Presidential Nominee who carried South Carolina’s primary by 10-points, went largely unmentioned during a two-hour gala there Friday, save for an obligatory reference by the state party chairman at the top of the program.
The Silver Elephant dinner is the preeminent annual party-building event for South Carolina Republicans who dress to the nines, clink glasses of wine, and celebrate their elected leaders while getting a first peek at a politician seeking a national future.
At this year’s gathering though, most were loath to acknowledge the giant elephant in the room. The near-blackout of Trump came through most glaringly on stage where Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Trey Gowdy, and featured guest speaker Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, all delivered remarks without any reference to the New York City billionaire.
Most remain at a loss to explain why now they will support their presumptive nominee – a developer and reality-TV star who has transformed U.S. politics into — well — you be the judge of that.
On Saturday, the Trump campaign organized a “unity breakfast” on the floor above the state party convention.Setting out a dozen tables, Trump paraphernalia and a plate of glazed donuts were served. Hanging above was a large banner that said, “Never Hillary! Vote Trump.”
The Trump campaign dismissed the party’s shirking of its candidate, claiming that once Trump’s final two opponents dropped their bids last week, the focus of the weekend’s events naturally returned to state affairs.
