President Trump's Columbia rally as it happened
9:00 p.m.
Trump finishes the speech with a call for S.C. voters to go out and vote for McMaster on Tuesday.
"Vote for values, vote for country," he said. "Vote for Henry."
8:53 p.m.
Trump credits Henry McMaster for South Carolina's growing economy. That's been a key campaign theme of McMaster's.
"South Carolina is doing unbelievable business. Jobs are pouring in," Trump says. That's because "Your governor is a man named Henry McMaster."
8:45 p.m.
"We passed the greatest tax cut in the history of America," Trump said. Even though Congress couldn't pass a repeal of the Obamacare health care law, the tax cut repealed the individual mandate.
"You don't mind if I don't use these teleprompters," Trump asks the crowd.
8:32 p.m.
When the crowd chants "Build The Wall," Trump says now "It's continue building the wall."
"We're spending a lot of money and we'll get it done," he said. Says "Democrats want to protect illegal immigrants coming into the country, some of whom are not good."
8:30 p.m.
Trump says he didn't campaign much in South Carolina in 2016 because "We were ahead by a lot."
8:25 p.m.
Talking about late-night comedians, Trump takes a shot at "this guy on CBS" — meaning Charleston-born Stephen Colbert — who Trump calls a "lowlife."
"I mean, are these people funny? They're not funny," he said. "They're not talented people... This guy on CBS has no talent."
8:22 p.m.
Railing against the elites, Trump dubs the crowd at the Airport rally "the super-elites."
"Everybody here works harder, pays taxes... you're smarter, you're more loyal. We have the greatest base in the history of politics," he said.
8:18 p.m.
Donald Trump now talking about winning South Carolina and "all up and down the East Coast" in 2016. "Sometimes you have to toot your own horn because nobody else is going to do it," he says.
This segues into Georgetown Steel reopening its S.C. plant.
8:10 p.m.
Henry McMaster speaks briefly, telling the crowd they were watching "the wind and the storm and the rain, and then the plane landed and the real force of nature stepped out."
Trump goes on to say he was on the plane from meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore when he saw the Sanford-Arrington race on TV, and asked his staff if there was enough time left for his to tweet his endorsement.
He wasn't sure if there was enough time left to make a difference, but "I don't like that guy. I don't care," Trump said, referencing Sanford.
8:09 p.m.
Trump said other candidates supported him "after the defeat of nine other people." But Henry McMaster was with him "from the very beginning."
Referencing the storms, Trump said "I have never taken a longer trip, ever, to South Carolina."
8:07 p.m.
President Trump said he's sending "all of our love" to Katie Arrington, the 1st District congressional nominee who was injured in a car crash over the weekend.
"We're praying for your very swift recovery," Trump said. "She'll be back out there soon."
Without mentioning his name, Trump also spoke about Rep. Mark Sanford, who was defeated by Arrington two weeks ago. Trump said Arrington defeated someone "I never really liked."
"The Appalachian Trail must be a beautiful place. Unfortunately, he never went there."
Trump also acknowledged Sen. Lindsey Graham, his one-time opponent in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
"We went at it. He said, 'I'll defeat him in South Carolina,'" but he's become a good friend."
Trump also gave a shout-out to Reps. Joe Wilson and Tom Rice, and Attorney General Alan Wilson, who also faces a primary on Tuesady. "He's looking good," Trump said of Alan Wilson.
7:43 p.m.
The crowd at the Trump rally at Airport High School was just told the president has now landed. Should arrive at the venue shortly.
7:10 p.m.
Stormy weather has delayed the start of President Donald Trump's Columbia rally on Monday.
Trump was scheduled to arrive at Columbia Metropolitan Airport around 6:40 p.m. on Monday for a rally at Cayce's Airport High School for a campaign rally supporting Gov. Henry McMaster.
But the rally, just hours ahead of Tuesday's GOP primary runoff between McMaster and Upstate businessman John Warren, was delayed as Air Force One circled the airport to avoid the bad weather. A White House pool reporter on board the president's plane estimated the flight had been circling the airport for about 30 minutes as of 7:15 p.m.
Earlier on Monday, Trump tweeted he was headed to "one of my favorite places, South Carolina, to fight for one of my original 'fighters,' Governor Henry McMaster."
The president isn't traveling alone. Sen. Lindsey Graham is traveling with the president from Washington to take part in the rally, South Carolina's senior senator said on Twitter.
On the ground, around 100 people waited outside the Airport venue for up to 11 hours to get good seats to see the president, even as temperatures outdoors approached triple digits and the area faced the threat of thunderstorms.
The high school gym reportedly filled up quickly after doors opened after 3:30 p.m., and by 4:45 p.m., rally-goers were being directed to overflow seating.
Several S.C. elected officials spoke at the rally ahead of the president's arrival, including U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson of Springdale and Tom Rice of Myrtle Beach, Adjutant General Bob Livingston, Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers and Pamela Evette, McMaster's running mate for lieutenant governor.
Outside, there were confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters before the rally began.
Elsewhere hundreds of law enforcement and security personnel are believed to be deployed to support the president's visit. People getting into Airport High School will be checked and screened for any weapons.
Elsewhere, every building and structure along Trump's (undisclosed) motorcade route will have been checked out, as well as any underground tunnels or manholes along the way.
Traffic in the area will be affected by the president's travel.
The president will speak to the crowd at 7 p.m. to encourage voters to support McMaster's bid for the GOP's nomination in Tuesday's primary runoff against Greenville businessman John Warren.
Warren spent Monday barnstorming across the state, trying to downplay the significance of the president's visit as he went.
"This is not a referendum on President Trump," Warren said Monday while campaigning in Columbia. "This is a referendum on Henry McMaster's unelected, failed leadership."
Check back for updates.
This story was originally published June 25, 2018 at 7:11 PM with the headline "President Trump's Columbia rally as it happened."