Charleston has welcomed many sitting U.S. presidents through the years. Here's a look back at some of those visits
Once referred to as the 'presidential port,' the Holy City has a rich tradition of welcoming sitting commanders-in-chief to the city dating back to George Washington's Southern Tour in 1791.
More recently, South Carolina has cemented itself as an official stepping stone to the White House as the 'First in the South' primary for both major political parties.
In recognition of President's Day, we take a look back at some of the presidential visits to Charleston through the years:
In March 1791, George Washington embarked on a months-long trip through Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
He arrived in Charleston on May 2 to great fanfare. According to historians, visiting Charleston was the focus of Washington's tour given its standing as an affluent and influential southern city.
The city rented a townhome on Church Street where the president stayed during his week-long visit to Charleston. The home belonged to Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. It is now a historical site and open to the public for tours.
Washington would spend his week meeting with dignitaries, attending social gatherings, visiting the city's orphanage, going to church services, and taking in Revolutionary War battle sites, including Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island.
An unusual moment from Washington's trip was recorded in his diary, according to historical accounts. It reads: 'Was visited about 2 o'clock by a great number of the most respectable ladies of Charleston –the first honor of the kind I had ever experienced and it was as flattering as it was singular.'
You can learn more about the visit here.
President James Monroe, the nation's fifth president, visited Charleston in 1819 as part of his own tour of southern states.
'For the kind manner in which I have been received, I shall always entertain the most grateful recollection, because I see in it, not simply the approbation of my public conduct, which is very gratifying to me, but a strong proof of the devotion of the City Council, and of my Fellow-Citizens in general, to the principles of our excellent constitution,' an excerpt from Monroe's April 27, 1819 address at then-St. Andrew's Hall on Broad Street reads.
President Teddy Roosevelt visited Charleston in April 1902 to deliver remarks at the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition, also known as the Charleston Exposition.
The exposition, which opened in December 1901 and closed the next June, was intended to 'prove the city of Charleston's usefulness as a port for trade with Latin America,' and featured 20 states, according to the National Museum of American History.
While in Charleston, Roosevelt attended a reception on the exposition grounds and reviewed troops at a military parade alongside his wife, Edith Roosevelt.
President William Howard Taft and his wife, Nellie, visited Charleston on several occasions to stay at the home of his friend, then-Mayor R. Goodwynn Rhett.
During a visit in 1911, Taft climbed atop the People's Building — considered Charleston's first 'skyscraper' — on Broad Street.
The construction plans were reportedly controversial at the time as people worried how it would impact the city's original skyline. Taft is rumored to have said 'I don't believe that it did ruin the skyline, but if it did, the view from up here makes it worth it,' while overlooking the city.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt made several trips to Charleston throughout his presidency, including in 1935 when he addressed cadets at The Citadel. In those remarks, he recalled helping to build the Navy Yard while serving as an assistant secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson.
FDR returned a year later, this time to set sail on a 'Good Neighbor' visit to South America in November 1936. He can be seen in photographs waving goodbye from the USS Indianapolis as it left Union Pier.
Two decades later, the Citadel would again get a visit from a sitting U.S. President.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was awarded an honorary degree from the Citadel in 1955, and he spoke to graduating cadets on the Parade Grounds after accepting.
'I would need scarcely search for words in order to express to you something of the great feeling of honor I have in the receipt of this honor through such a distinguished institution and at the hands of one of my oldest friends in the military services,' Eisenhower said referring to then-Citadel President General Mark W. Clark.
Though he was governor of neighboring Georgia, President Jimmy Carter made only one official visit to Charleston during his presidency.
He made a brief stop in the city in July 1977 to deliver remarks at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference, where he discussed America's relationship with the Soviet Union.
Carter is also remembered as the last Democrat to win a presidential election in South Carolina.
Just a few months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush delivered a speech to the Citadel's Corps of Cadets about the ensuing War on Terror. 'When I committed U.S. forces to this battle, I had every confidence that they would be up to the task,' he said. 'And they have proven me right.'
In July 2007, President George W. Bush attended a luncheon at the Charleston Air Force Base at the invitation of Sen. Lindsey Graham. In his address to a crowd of 300 airmen, sailors, marines, and coast guardsmen, President Bush spoke about the efforts and achievements of Charleston AFB in the global war on terror.
In the days after the massacre, President Barack Obama traveled to Charleston to deliver a eulogy for state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel AME. The speech shifted focus from the trauma of the event to the healing power of unity and sang 'Amazing Grace.' First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden also attended the funeral.
Obama had visited Charleston before. Shortly after winning the Iowa Democratic Party caucus in 2008, then Sen. Obama spoke at an event in the Cistern Yard on the College of Charleston campus.
During this event, Sen. John Kerry officially endorsed Obama, propelling the future president to victory in the South Carolina primary.
President Donald Trump has held several rallies in the Charleston area in the past decade, including a final plea to voters on Feb. 19, 2016, at the North Charleston Convention Center ahead of the South Carolina GOP primary.
He also came to the Lowcountry twice during his first term. The first visit was to the Boeing plant in North Charleston for the rollout of the first 787-10 Dreamliner in February 2017.
On Feb. 28, 2020 — just one day before the Democratic presidential primary — Trump held a rally in North Charleston. Despite tickets being made available on a first-come, first-served basis many supporters began lining up for the event as early as the day before.
Joe Biden is no stranger to the Charleston area.
In October 2018, then-Vice President Joe Biden stopped in the Lowcountry to campaign for James Smith, the Democratic nominee for Governor. Two years later, he appeared in the 10th Democratic presidential primary debate held at the Gaillard Center.
The Bidens have also spent time vacationing on Kiawah Island over the years, including a 2022 trip during his presidency. The former president visited Kiawah while serving as Vice President in 2009, 2013, and 2015.
As Biden's time in the White House drew to a close, he stopped in Charleston on January 19 to thank the people who got him there.
Biden spent much of his final full day in office in the Lowcountry, signaling his appreciation for the state that helped propel him to the presidency after he won its Democratic primary in 2020 thanks to U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's endorsement.
He, the First Family, and several other special guests started their morning attending church service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston. The church holds special meaning for the president as he worshipped there in 2020 while seeking the Democratic nomination.
'I prayed with you here in February 2020 when I was running for president, and on my final full day as president, of all the places I wanted to be, was back here with you,' Biden told the congregation.
Biden's farewell tour continued with a stop at the International African American Museum in downtown Charleston, where he took a private tour.
In a program that followed, Clyburn presented Biden with a handwoven sweetgrass rice fanner that held engravings in the middle of Carolina Maplewood.
Biden closed out the last speech of his presidency by exclaiming, 'I love you all, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. My family owes you; we owe you, the nation owes you… God bless America.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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