Video praying for Trump at South Carolina restaurant viewed 1.9 million times

Former President Donald Trump received a warm welcome at a South Carolina restaurant after the start of his 2024 campaign in the state, as seen in viral video shared by his staff.

Trump and other members of his team visited a Zesto’s in the Columbia state capital Saturday, met with supporters and picked up food. In a video originally shared on social media by Margo Martin, a member of Trump’s communications team, the former president meets with a burger chain worker who appears emotional and says a prayer for him.

In her tweet sharing the video, Martin said the clip shows “the real thing.” [Donald Trump] the media won’t show you.”

The 15-second clip was widely viewed on Twitter, garnering 1.9 million views as of Sunday morning. It was also shared by the likes of Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and current media analyst known for his consistent criticism of Trump, who took a darker view of the clip than Martin and jokingly tweeted, “Praise the Lord for Donald Trump and fast food!”

Replies to Filipkowski’s tweet were similarly witheredwith some repeating their past skepticism about Trump’s claims of being a Christian and others bringing up his many allegations of spousal leaks and sexual misconduct.

Trump is so far the only major stated candidate in the 2024 presidential race, seeking re-election to the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020. The former president announced his candidacy last November, shortly after the Republican Party suffered a historically disappointing performance in the midterm elections, losing a seat in the Senate and winning the House of Representatives by a razor-thin margin.

These results have been widely attributed to Trump’s negative influence, with the former president’s endorsements for various extremist and unqualified candidates driving seemingly moderate Republicans and independent voters away.

Despite calls to step down from a prominent role in the GOP, Trump has pushed ahead with his reelection bid, reportedly hoping a campaign would keep certain federal charges at bay. With the cloud of midterms hanging over him, Trump’s campaign announcement was criticized by many for being low-energy and uninspiring.

While no other Republicans have declared themselves for 2024, many see Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump’s main opponent for the GOP nomination. Florida Republicans had strong results in the midterms, and DeSantis has consistently garnered the national spotlight with his various Culture War-inspired strategies.

Meanwhile, polls have been mixed so far, with some showing Trump retains a strong hold on the GOP and others showing his support being siphoned off the likes of DeSantis.

news week reached out to Trump’s team for further comment.