Republican former United States president Donald Trump will make the first public appearance of his 2024 presidential run in the early-voting state of South Carolina.

Two well-known South Carolina Republicans – United States Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most loyal backers, and Governor Henry McMaster – will join Mr Trump at the State House in Columbia on January 28 as he unveils his campaign’s state leadership team, his campaign said on Tuesday.

South Carolina holds outsize influence as one of the first states to hold presidential nominating contests during election years.

In 2016, when South Carolina was the third state after Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr Trump’s statewide victory helped solidify his status as the Republican front-runner.

Democratic President Joe Biden’s win in the state’s primary in 2020 was a crucial turning point for his candidacy after his poor showing in the first two nominating contests.

Democrats, with President Biden’s backing, have recently taken steps to make South Carolina their first primary in 2024, in part because party leaders view Iowa, traditionally the lead-off state, as too white to reflect the full electorate.

The Republicans have chosen to maintain the traditional sequence for the first three states: Iowa, New Hampshire and then South Carolina.

Mr Trump has not hit the campaign trail since he formally began his presidential run in November, instead making occasional appearances before invited guests at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Two other South Carolina Republicans – former Governor Nikki Haley and US Senator Tim Scott – are seen as potential rivals for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

– AAP