‘Sanctuary Summit?’ Trump Sycophant Meets ‘Republican’ South Carolina Mayor

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by WILL FOLKS

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South Carolina’s lieutenant governor – who is among the top contenders to become its next governor – is a definitional Donald Trump acolyte.

Pamela Evette is servilely obsequious when it comes to Trump, reflexively effusive in her praise and fawning in her adulation – while falling conspicuously silent whenever the president finds himself embroiled in scandal.

The name of her game? Securing Trump’s endorsement in this spring’s GOP gubernatorial primary… an imprimatur many believe she may well obtain.

Evette will likely have some explaining to do on that front, however, after she was spotted confabbing early Tuesday (February 17, 2026) with increasingly left-of-center Columbia, S.C. mayor Daniel Rickenmann at the ‘Immaculate Consumption‘ coffee shop, a popular destination near the S.C. State House.

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?@ColaMayor speaks to S.C. lt. governor @PamelaEvette at Immaculate Consumption in downtown @CityofColumbia today. She looks ? bored by his beta male act. Wait, though… why is a @realDonaldTrump-loving Republican meeting with a wanna be 'Sanctuary Mayor?' Hmmm (cc: @ICEGov). pic.twitter.com/wIgw2K4gwZ

— FITSNews (@fitsnews) February 17, 2026

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For those of you who missed the recent drama, Rickenmann is contorting himself as he virtue signals to the far left on the issue of immigration enforcement. Specifically, the mayor is adamant officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to notify him and other city leaders of their recent decision to rent office space in downtown Columbia, S.C. as part of Trump’s expanded enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.

Rickenmann is purportedly big mad at ICE for not giving him a heads-up – and even bigger mad at anyone questioning his narrative regarding this alleged lack of notification.

The faux outrage and conflation – which we detailed in a prior post – is an obvious sop to the liberal fringe, which is loaded for bear ahead of this week’s gathering of Rickenmann’s über-liberal city council.

So what did Evette, a state-level politician kowtowing to Trump’s every whim, and Rickenmann – who is hoping to burnish his liberal bona fides at the expense of Trump – discuss during their tête-à-tête?

We asked both officials what items were on their agenda – and what outcomes were reached regarding those issues.

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“The lieutenant governor and I have been trying to catch up for months,” Rickenmann told FITSNews. “This meeting was to do that. She shared an overview of her platform for the state and I shared general updates about the capital city. I asked a few questions about recruitment and growth for the state, and how it will impact the Midlands.”

Rickenmann referred to the exchange with Evette as a “great coffee with no immediate outcomes or expectations.”

“Just a coffee conversation,” Rickenmann said.

Evette’s campaign manager, Megan Finnern, was similarly blasé about the meeting.

“Last time I checked, two Republican elected officials having a cup of coffee is a pretty ordinary occurrence in our state’s capital city,” Finnern said.

“That said, they discussed the lieutenant governor’s strong support for President Trump, her plans to continue advancing President Trump’s America-First policies, and her full-backing of ICE deporting illegal immigrants,” Finnern added.

Columbia hosts its next city council meeting at 4:00 p.m. EST this afternoon at city hall (1737 Main Street). Those wishing to speak during the public comment section should contact Erika Hammond via email.

Count on FITSNews to keep close tabs on Rickenmann’s machinations amid the ongoing ICE drama – a saga which has Columbia veering even further to the left.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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