On Saturday in Pickens, SC (pop. 3,371), former president Donald Trump held his first rally since being indicted for mishandling classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements. Local police estimated the crowd at 50,000-55,000. Most of those in attendance will remember the heat, humidity and prolonged booing of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Born in Pickens County and an ally of the former president, Graham played a major role bringing Trump to the South Carolina Upstate for the Fourth of July weekend.

EMS responded to many suffering from heat sickness while workers and volunteers regularly passed out bottles of water. In two recent polls of SC voters, from National Public Affair and National Research, Trump leads DeSantis by a margin of 41%-18%. There are now a dozen Republicans challenging the former president for the primary nomination.

All photos by Sean Rayford for Getty Images. To see more, or to license photos visit: Photos - Donald Trump Rally in Pickens, SC 2024 - Getty Images

About the author: Sean Rayford is a South Carolina photographer documenting the state since 1997 when he joined the school newspaper at The University of South Carolina. Rayford was part of the 2001 graduating class at USC.

Related photo story: On Assignment - Trump Rally (March 2022)