COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD)- Former President Donald Trump will serve as the keynote speaker at the South Carolina Republican Party’s annual fundraising gala later this summer.

“The Silver Elephant Gala is the premier annual fundraising event for South Carolina Republicans and we’re thrilled to welcome President Trump to the Palmetto State and have him come and support our Party,” an announcement stated.

Trump carried South Carolina in the two previous presidential elections, defeating President Joe Biden by seven percentage points in the 2020 election.

Despite mounting legal troubles — including a recent indictment in the classified documents case –, Trump has remained the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

A May 2023 poll conducted by National Public Affairs found that Trump leads by 38% among likely South Carolina voters, which is 15 points ahead of the next closest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. South Carolina’s own former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott polled at 15% and 10%, respectively.

Trump’s appearance at the gala will come about a month after he holds an Independence Day rally in Pickens, S.C. Nearly 75 percent of Pickens County voters voted for Trump in the 2020 election, according to the South Carolina Election Commission.

The Silver Elephant Gala, the state’s longest-standing GOP event, began in 1967 with future President Ronald Reagan as the inaugural speaker. In the past five decades, the gala has welcomed presidents, senators, governors, and other politicians within the Republican party.

The 56th annual Silver Elephant Gala will be held on August 5.