At a Clemson University campaign event for Senate candidate Darline Graham, President Donald Trump praised a rally attendee who appeared to hit a protester, saying "That was great, man. Wow. Man, I loved that. I watched that." Trump asked "Who’s the guy that threw that punch?" and compared him to heavyweight Evander Holyfield, calling the action "incredible" and "unbelievable." According to a pool report, Trump was interrupted at least nine times by hecklers; the crowd chanted "USA" as security guards escorted multiple protesters out of the arena. Video and witness accounts described one removed demonstrator being followed and slapped on the head by a rally attendee. Darline Graham is the sister of the late senator Lindsey Graham; she won a special election to finish his term and is facing Democrat Annie Andrews in the race for a full six-year Senate term. The Guardian noted the scene came amid Trump’s intensified 32-day campaign blitz and cited a Reuters/Ipsos poll finding 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in office.
