President Biden’s visit to Columbia brings mixed reactions from politicians

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Before speaking to the crowd at Flex LTD, President Biden was greeted by local officials and supporters at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Air Force One arrived at the airport just before noon on Thursday — marking the first time President Biden has been in the Midlands since December 2021 when he spoke at South Carolina State’s Commencement Ceremony.

Congressman Jim Clyburn and Columbia’s Mayor Daniel Rickenmann met the president as he came down the stairs of Air Force One.

President Biden then shook hands with local supporters and community members before leaving in the presidential limo, heading to Flex LTD  in West Columbia.

The President’s visit prompted mixed reactions from both Democrats and Republicans across South Carolina.

Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Tim Scott appeared on Fox News attacking Biden’s economic vision for the country, which the president refers to as “Bidenomics,” or growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up versus “trickle down economics.”

Scott cited an increase in gas prices and food saying in part, ” I hope he’s going to start his apology tour here in South Carolina.”

South Carolina GOP leader Drew McKissick responded to President Biden’s visit by saying, in part, “…maybe his handlers will let him take some real, unscreened questions while he’s here, but I doubt it. And with his lousy job performance, I can’t blame them.”

Governor Henry McMaster tweeted, “South Carolina is red hot, with a booming economy, a growing population, and a quality of life unmatched by any state. Our prominent role on the national political stage has seen two presidential visits to our state in the last six days. Since January 2017, we’ve announced 82,000 new jobs with 33 billion dollars in new capital investment. Our success originates from our people, whose values, faith, patriotism, and work ethic are widely known across the globe.”

At an online event on Wednesday, Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party Christale Spain says President Biden has always made South Carolina a priority.

“We’re here to support him and we’re excited about mobilizing voters for his re-election and I think too, just letting Democratic voters know, letting all voters know, that he has been delivering on the promises that he made, and he’s delivering on a robust economic agenda, and as South Carolinians we feel the impact of that investment everyday,” says Spain.

South Carolina will be the first presidential primary voting state next February.