That's Nikki Haley, Tea Party darling and new Governor of South Carolina speaking on the steps of the Statehouse in Columbia. Originally scheduled to include an appearance by The Donald, this tea party rally was anticipated to have around 2,000 participants. Unfortunately, Trump was made a chump by Obama and dropped all ego-glorifying pretension to running for president, which included backing out of this South Carolina appearance.

So there's Nikki Haley, all by her lonesome....literally:

Trump’s decision to not enter the GOP presidential race left local Tea Party leaders stewing about the way they had been treated. But about 30 people were on hand Thursday to thank Gov. Nikki Haley, lawmakers and activists for their work to require more on-the-record Legislative votes.

It was all part of a tough week for the state’s Tea Party movement.
On Wednesday, the S.C. House reversed course and approved a controversial sales tax break for online retailer Amazon. Thursday, the S.C. Senate voted down a proposal that would have rebated any better-than-expected state tax collections to income tax filers.

Columbia Tea Party chairman Allen Olson expected as many as 2,000 would have attended Thursday’s rally had Trump been there. But The Donald, a favorite of many who attended the group’s Tax Day rally with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., elected to not run and dropped the rally from his schedule.

“It was a kick in the gut, but it gives you a chance to regroup,” said Olson. “He’s a businessman. He showed his worth.”

And frankly, he showed the worth of the tea party. Thirty attendees, huh? Yeah, that's a powerful and influential group. Contrast that to the 2,500 who came out in March to protest state budget cuts to education and health care.

But who do you think the media will ask about--appeasing those 30 never-say-die tea partiers or the thousands of populists fighting for education and healthcare?