Rep. Clyburn Bashes Trump at Wofford College

Clyburn bashes Trump and says Americans need to 'wake up'

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn said Democrats need to roll up their sleeves and get to work if they want to blunt the "threats to our democracy" posed by President Donald Trump. Clyburn spoke last evening at a town hall meeting at Wofford College in Spartanburg.

Clyburn urges rallies and protests, engagement on social media, letters to newspapers’ editorial sections, and personal conversations with neighbors.

“We need to use whatever talent we have to fight,” he said.

About 350 people attended the question-and-answer session with Clyburn, who is South Carolina’s only Democratic lawmaker in Congress and represents the 6th District. Clybun is traveling the state on a "listening tour" with the public. His next stop is April 24 in Beaufort.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. William Timmons (R-4th District) called Clyburn's visit to the Upstate "performative." Timmons has not hosted a town hall event, but earlier in the day, posted on the social media platforms X and Instagram about a Spartanburg appearance on April 21: "It is always a pleasure to join the Spartanburg County Republican Women! We had a great group last night to talk about my work on the DOGE Subcommittee, my recent trip to Greenland, and how I am fighting to enact President Trump’s America First Agenda as your representative in Washington. A great day and evening in Spartanburg!

At Wofford, Clyburn was direct in his assessment of Trump, describing him as an authoritarian who will likely challenge the wording of the 22nd Amendment – including that “(n)o person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice” – to seek a third term.

He described Project 2025 – a roadmap developed by the right-wing Heritage Foundation drafted in preparation for a second Trump term – as “Jim Crow 2.0.”

He warned that Americans need to “wake up.”

At the same time, Clyburn, who has served in Congress since the early 1990s, said he maintains working relationships with Republicans and is willing to pursue bipartisan solutions.

He pointed to Social Security, a topic that several attendees had questions about.

Clyburn said he thinks “our Republican friends have always had a problem with Social Security,” and he chastised statements by Trump and his designated government cost-slasher, billionaire Elon Musk.

“The president has called Social Security a scam, and Musk called it the greatest Ponzi scheme of all time,” he said.

But Clyburn said there are Republicans who may ultimately join with Democrats to protect Social Security as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

“We’ve got to keep lines of communication open,” he said.

Clyburn criticized the Trump administration’s agenda on a variety of fronts, including tariffs.

A trade war, he said, could be “the ruination” of rural communities in South Carolina.

If other governments – especially the Chinese – slap increased tariffs on American products, the effects could be devastating for farmers in South Carolina, Clyburn said.

“You’d be shocked at how many soybeans are grown in South Carolina,” he said. “You know who buys a great deal of our soybean crop? China.”

On Tuesday, Trump indicated that he might back down on implementing the 145 percent tariffs on Chinese products.

Spartanburg resident Elizabeth York said she appreciated Clyburn’s call to action. She said Trump’s reelection was a wake-up call.

“I had taken a lot for granted, and I realized I had to get more involved,” she said. “I made it a point to join the local party and go to meetings. When rallies started being organized, I began to attend them. Like Congressman Clyburn said, use the talents you have to do what you can.”

Derrick Quarles, a candidate for Greenville County D-25, made the trip from Greenville to hear Clyburn speak. He said he worries about threats to democracy he thinks Trump and his supporters represent.

With his turn at the microphone, Quarles asked Clyburn about the likelihood of Trump’s pursuing a third term. He was glad that Clyburn said Democrats should take the matter seriously.

He said it was “definitely worth coming” to the town hall.