SOUTH CAROLINA Trump Voter Uproar: MAGA's Utility Bills Have Tripled!

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:01]I open the power bill. $873.74.

[00:00:05]M what? I'm not paying that. Absolutely insane. Bonkers. Crazy. I'm not doing it.

[00:00:11]>> Tonight, we turn to South Carolina where soaring gas and utility bills, groceries, and other expenses is fueling frustration among many Trump voters and others across the state. Some families say their monthly costs have tripled, putting intense pressure on already stretched budgets.

[00:00:33]Listen closely as South Carolinians share their personal stories behind this growing economic uproar.

[00:00:40]>> I started doing my bills, baby. I done got I done cried my power bill. If you got Duke Energy, if you in South Carolina, North Carolina, I I think you understand. My bill was over $500 this month. Last month it was over 300.

[00:01:00]These monopolies and this [ __ ] This needs to stop. Corporate should not be able to do this to their customers. I mean, this is crazy. This making it hard for me to pay my mortgage. Um, who is Duke Energy social media manager and why aren't y'all responding to people? Cuz I know that y'all see y'all are tagged everywhere.

[00:01:18]If you in South Carolina, stop and watch this. I got a quick quick question for you. Okay? Specifically, if you got Fairfield Electric because am I the only person who my light bill has been abnormally high since Trump got in office? I'm I'm confused. And I know some of y'all be like, "This don't have nothing to do with Trump." He said he was going to lower the cost and y'all voted for him because he claimed he was going to lower the cost for the average American. My light bill, it was 300 almost 400 last month and now it's four almost 500 this month. I don't I'm sitting in the dark.

[00:01:48]>> So, I just paid the electric bill at the house.

[00:01:52]Now, the only thing I've done the last month with the electricity is two loads of laundry washed and dried and uh a refrigerator is running.

[00:02:07]With the price of fuel being up, price of groceries being up, the price of all of our utilities being up, when are you greedy son of a [ __ ] going to realize that you're about to price yourselves out of our lives? And pretty soon, we're all going to be living in homeless, sheltered tents in the middle of Walmart parking lot or your Target or your Kroger, wherever the hell you go. and you won't even be able to get in because all of us will be sitting there panhandling trying to make money or we'll just be living in the tents and going to work because we can't afford the utilities.

[00:02:40]>> This question goes out to Duke Power.

[00:02:44]My power bill in the wintertime goes up to $4 and $500 a month on some months. Something's going on because the power usage in my house doesn't change for winter time.

[00:03:02]Now, in the summer, I can see it going up a little bit because of the AC that I got in one of the windows in the house, but still going from around $100 or so in the spring and in the fall and jumping up to nearly five, $600 in the winter.

[00:03:21]Just random hikes in my power bill for no apparent reason.

[00:03:28]>> Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina. I think those the three. This video is for anybody living in that state. Can somebody please tell me why the light bill is so high?

[00:03:43]What? Dominion, Virginia, Dominion, North Carolina, whatever. What What is going on? Why is it that I have to pay $2,000 for a light bill? I got to get a second job to just to pay the light bill alone.

[00:03:58]Why y'all protest and everything else protesting me? Because it doesn't make sense to me why the light bill got to be so high. Why is my light bill the the price of a a a month a rent somebody's rent? Why?

[00:04:14]I I work. Don't nobody ever be in my house. Why is my light bill that high?

[00:04:18]Nuke energy bill was super high last month. I'm talking about maybe triple. I don't pay that much for a light bill.

[00:04:24]You see what I'm saying? So, am I upset?

[00:04:26]Yes. Did I pay it? Yes. But I'm waiting on that class action lawsuit. Y'all can't just charge anything y'all want to charge the people. It was too much.

[00:04:34]Y'all didn't add a little $50. Y'all like doubled it. The way these people trying to get money every which way is crazy. The person they need to be getting the money from is the person that's been stealing all the funds. I and if you don't know who been stealing all the funds, I'll give you a little hint. He building a ballroom >> utility bill. The bill keeps going up, but the electricity use in the house is staying the same. Like no one is suddenly running a nightclub out of their living room, using the same lights, same TV, same appliances, but yet you're seeing your bills still increase. It actually kind of feels disrespectful.

[00:05:05]>> I think the biggest the biggest mistake that Lake City did was when all that came out, they said, "Hey, we're going to increase the water bill." as a city.

[00:05:14]>> That was immediately the immediate response.

[00:05:17]>> Yeah. Like the like one thing you should have did. If I'm the mayor, if I'm the mayor of Lake City, hey, I'm not taking a salary until we can figure out what's up with this money. I don't want to affect my citizens. We already We already know that Lake City is a povertystricken town. We already know the median salary in Lake City is $31, like $920.

[00:05:40]Why am I going to burden my citizens more by increasing their water bill or their trash bill? That makes zero sense to me.

[00:05:48]>> Spartanberg, South Carolina, where we're being asked to cut back on water because we are now under severe drought conditions. And yet, we're still approving data centers. We're being told to limit watering our gardens, take shorter showers, and conserve water wherever we can. But here's the question nobody in county government seems willing to answer. Why are residents being asked to conserve when these data center projects, which can consume over half a million gallons of water every single day, still being approved?

[00:06:15]There's no reason for working families to carry the burden while these billion dollar investments get fasttracked without public input.

[00:06:22]>> This is the Dominion Energy CEO named Robert Blue, and he made almost $13 million last year. Dominion Energy provides energy to 3.6 6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Dominion Energy South Carolina recently filed for a $322 million rate increase. This would go into effect July 2026 and would increase electricity bills by 12.7% on average.

[00:06:50]The average electricity bill in Somerville and Charleston is already almost $300. They're justifying this by saying that energy usage will increase by 25% by 2044. It's really interesting that this is happening at the same time that Google is investing in $9 billion in South Carolina, Charleston and Somerville included, for AI data centers. Here's the Myrtle Beach utility bill. Surprise nobody warns you about.

[00:07:15]Electric bills in Myrtle Beach can run $150 to $350 or more in in the summer.

[00:07:21]The reason, humidity. Air conditioning runs much harder here than in cooler climates. And there's another thing many people don't know. Local electric companies introduced peak usage changes in 2024. During peak hours, 3 to 6:00 p.m. in summer, electricity is significantly more expensive. So, simple things like running your dishwasher or laundry outside those hours can make a noticeable difference in your monthly bill. Big utility news out of South Carolina. Here's what's happening with Santi Cooper and its finances. Santi Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, has asked lawmakers to approve hundreds of millions in new debt to help fund major energy projects, including planned natural gas capacity and system improvements. This comes as the utility navigates ongoing costs from past projects and prepares for future infrastructure needs with leaders saying the borrowing is part of financing long-term reliability and capacity for customers across the low country and beyond. Large debt moves like this matter because they influence future rates, local power supply stability, and how utilities plan for growth in our region.

[00:08:33]>> South Carolina, this is breaking news today and you need to pay attention.

[00:08:36]Dominion Energy is being sold for $67 billion. Yes, that Dominion, the one that powers 820,000 of us from the Midlands to the Low Country with operating headquarters in Casey, South Carolina. The buyer, that's Next Era Energy out of Florida. The deal was announced this morning and it would create the world's largest regulated electric utility. But here's why the timing matters. Just 10 days ago, Dominion settled a rate case in South Carolina starting July 1st. The average residential bill goes up about $12 a month, a 7.62% jump. That was before this deal. And here's the part that should make every South Carolinian raise an eyebrow. Next Era already tried to buy into South Carolina back in 2018. They wanted to acquire Santi Cooper. They withdrew in 2021. So they have wanted in our state for years. And now they're getting in the back door by buying Dominion Energy's parent company. So what's driving this? Well, you guessed it.

[00:09:29]Artificial intelligence. Data centers are devouring electricity faster than the grid can produce it. Next era wants Dominion's pipeline of AI contracts.

[00:09:38]Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and that's why they are paying $67 billion.

[00:09:42]A live look for you at the Sphinx on East Main Street, Highway 290. This one hurts my heart. This is over in Duncan.

[00:09:49]You can see that price starting at $429 for some regular old gas. Earlier over in Spartanberg, we saw prices sitting at $419, just barely under $4 at 3.95.

[00:10:01]Where's that? We spoke with some folks in the area this morning who say they're getting kind of worried.

[00:10:05]>> When I saw that this morning, I was shocked and I really needed the gas cuz I had to go to the uh to my work, but it was shocking that it was so high. I'm worried that it's going to get any higher. And see, I live in GE, but I work in Spart. So, that's a little travel for me. And the gas already, it takes like $35 to fill up my Corolla.

[00:10:27]So, it's going to get even higher.

[00:10:30]>> I just paid $81 to fill my Honda Odyssey. Something that 6 months ago would have cost me 60 bucks. And my husband doesn't make any more money now than he did 6 months ago. But you better believe everything has been jacked up in price. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Everything costs more. What are we supposed to do?

[00:10:55]How are we supposed to keep up with the increase of prices on things? If the amount of money we're making is not also reflecting the increase in prices, minimum wage in my state is 725. Gas, I just paid $419 a gallon. So, you're supposed to work over half an hour just for one gallon of gas. I just truly don't understand.

[00:11:15]>> $4.29 a gallon.

[00:11:18]$429 is the highest that I've seen for gas prices in South Carolina and the lowest is $3.92.

[00:11:28]It's ridiculous. And something needs to change like expeditiously because be for real.

[00:11:34]$22 on it. Six gallons. That [ __ ] crazy.

[00:11:38]Thanks to Trump, this what y'all voted for. It is. Wow. Six gallons. I wonder how much damn $5 will get you. 0.112.

[00:11:50]>> Y'all, gas is $59 a gallon for premium in South Carolina. $59 and the [ __ ] just about to get hired. Hell no.

[00:11:58]>> Drivers across South Carolina are already feeling the pinch. And for some, the price at the pump is hard to believe.

[00:12:05]>> Yeah. So, normally I spend about 55, maybe 60 bucks. But now, as you can see, we're almost we're 75. We may hit 80.

[00:12:12]You know, that's crazy. And with no clear end in sight, many are bracing for things to get worse before they get better.

[00:12:19]>> Prepare to pay more cuz we don't know what the gas is going to look like come next week, next month, next year. We don't know. It's a question of being able to afford groceries or gas.

[00:12:29]>> Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular jumped 48 in the last week, beating the 45 cent spike after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and making it one of the biggest weekly jumps on record. South Carolina's price jumped 51 cents a gallon.

[00:12:45]>> From rising electricity, food, and gas costs to higher heating and cooling bills, many say they're struggling just to cover basic expenses. For some households, the financial pressure is forcing difficult choices they never imagine making. Tim Scott yesterday, uh, senator from South Carolina, got up on the news and said with a straight [ __ ] face that gas prices are coming down when we can all see with our own two eyes that that is not true. LIKE, WHAT? LISTEN to this buffoon. Listen to this buffoon.

[00:13:21]>> The fact of the matter is that all of the cylinders are kicking. It is good news. You can even feel in our environment how good things are getting.

[00:13:28]Gas prices continue to come down, which means that your groceries will come down a little bit as well. We've got a lot of good signs in the economy. We just need to continue to execute and have confidence in the choices the American people have made by making President Trump their president and keeping majorities, Republican majorities, and both the House and the Senate.

[00:13:40]>> We're getting scalped at the gas pump and now price gouged in the grocery store.

[00:13:45]>> Ground beef at my grocery store has nearly doubled in the last 9 months.

[00:13:51]Summer 2025, it was sitting right around 450.

[00:13:56]And we like I was like, "Oh, GRAB ALL THE GROUND BEEF." LIKE, "THIS IS GREAT."

[00:13:59]I DIDN'T I didn't realize groceries were this cheap. And now I just placed a online order for Walmart.

[00:14:06]750 for one pound of ground beef.

[00:14:13]But when I have to work an hour for ground beef for two meals, what?

[00:14:24]Like saying that I'm scared is a little bit of an understatement. Like genuinely.

[00:14:29]Oh my god. I remember when $200 worth of groceries would fill your trunk and now $200 only buys you three bags and they fit in your back seat.

[00:14:42]This is so sad. I just moved to the south and I went grocery shopping to make dinner for my boyfriend and I. And I have a bone to pick.

[00:14:54]So, here is everything I got. It was $30 in total. My question is, why was $12 of that for these two broccoli fuettes? Is that normal?

[00:15:07]Is that just like like the going rate here?

[00:15:12]>> What?

[00:15:13]>> What's my total for this?

[00:15:15]>> Yes.

[00:15:17]>> 500.

[00:15:18]>> What?

[00:15:19]>> What?

[00:15:20]>> Are you sure?

[00:15:22]My daughter says it's 500.

[00:15:24]>> Well, probably cheaper at Costco, right?

[00:15:26]>> Cheaper. How about 551?

[00:15:33]I thought it was like 300.

[00:15:35]>> No, not nowadays.

[00:15:37]>> Well, I just learned from the radio that it costs more money. It's more expensive to go out to eat and have dinner here in Charleston, South Carolina than it is in New York City. On average, it costs more to go out to eat here in Charleston than it does in New York City.

[00:15:55]>> Housing costs, rent costs, gas, groceries, every It's like I'm living in New York with the small town wages. I work at a multi-billion dollar company.

[00:16:06]I had to take a pay cut to get a promotion. We are not getting the New York wages, but the New York prices.

[00:16:13]>> $3,200 a month is about what I make from my hourly job here in Charleston. And this is where all of my money goes every single month. First of all, my rent is $1,600. My car payment is $500. My car insurance bundled with my renter insurance is also 500. I spend about $500 to $600 just on groceries. And I make all my meals at home. The only time I ever eat out is when I eat at the job that I work at and I get everything 50% off. Do the math. Where does that leave me?

[00:16:40]>> Can't walk outside Charlotte these days without dropping 50 to 100 bucks. On top of that, I only have 50 to 100 bucks to spend because I'm spending on rent, groceries, and basically my energy bill.

[00:16:51]Is anyone else doing this? Cuz I feel like there's no way I'm the only one.

[00:16:54]I'm shelling out. I'm shelling out.

[00:16:57]>> So, I have a question. Why is the South Carolina minimum wage still $725?

[00:17:06]And South Carolina doesn't have a state minimum wage, so they resort to federal minimum wage, which is $7.25.

[00:17:16]Why is the minimum wage $725?

[00:17:22]Who the hell can survive off of $725?

[00:17:28]What the hell is going on with our government? rent alone is way higher than basically your wage is going to provide and you still need food and you still need clothes and you still need a vehicle and to be able to put gas in it.

[00:17:47]So, how many jobs are people having to work right now in order to take care of themselves or their families? 725 is just not feasible anymore in this day and age. If you're in South Carolina and realize they're not distracting you right now and doing the same thing the federal government does, then you're not paying attention. They literally have an abortion bill going on right now. They have an anti-trans bill going on right now. They had ICE at the military distracting all of us during this election time so we're not asking real questions like why are 28 other states why have they already voted for minimum wage increases? Why was our child care vouchers taken away? Why are we passing bathroom bills when people are literally hungry and on the streets, veterans? Why are we lowering the income tax to bring more people here when you can't even take care of the people you have? Why are we lowering income tax when you literally don't have enough money to fix the roads that we currently drive on?

[00:18:43]Why are we building highways in the name of a president and a podcaster?

[00:18:49]>> You know what I don't understand?

[00:18:51]Convenience fees to pay something online. So, I went to pay my property tax. It's a whole thing in South Carolina. I think it's kind of crazy, but that's a different story for a different time. So, I went to pay it and there's like a 17 almost $18 fee to pay it online. I'm like, "So, you're going to charge me almost 20 bucks to make an online payment." And I understand that there are fees associated with cards and things like that, but 17 almost $18 for a convenience fee feels like a lot. I pay my water bill online and there's like a $110 fee, which I still don't like paying, but I pay it. But still, convenience fees. Why are we charging so much?

[00:19:31]>> Owning a house is starting to feel like adopting a pet tiger. Every month, it costs more and more to keep it alive.

[00:19:37]See, this is what they don't tell you.

[00:19:39]It's not just about a mortgage payment anymore. It's the property taxes, the maintenance, the HOA fees, and now insurance companies standing outside your wallet like a mugger. Like you mean protection, right? They told you home ownership was a dream. Well, for some people it's turning into a subscription service with hidden fees.

[00:19:59]>> I'm wondering if other areas are starting to see as many small businesses shut down as I'm starting to see around me in South Carolina, which is just up the road, which is one of my many home states and where half of my family still lives. And I have seen press release after press release lately talking about businesses that have been around for decades going away. The number one issue facing South Carolina is our education system. We're number 43 for public schools and uh number two would be our infrastructure. Uh we're also in the 40s for um roads and then the third issue is corruption. We're number 45 for um corruption.

[00:20:35]>> Here at the state house, lawmakers are considering giving $35 million in direct financial relief to some farmers across the state that are struggling right now.

[00:20:45]Now, farmers tell News 19 that because of the war in Iran, they've seen skyrocketing prices for fertilizer over the last several weeks. And they say that's just the latest blow. There's also the drought that they've been facing and other prices that have been going up and up over the last couple of months that have really impacted them.

[00:21:04]Now, this proposal will give $35 million in grants to farmers across the state of South Carolina. and they hope this will just help them stay afloat for the time being while they're struggling with some of these high input costs.

[00:21:17]>> I've been saying for a while that the wealth class and the working class cannot coexist in this world. It's either us or them. Case in point, Congresswoman Nancy Mace is calling for a law for no tax on boat loan interest, allowing them to deduct up to $10,000 in interest on recreational boats on the on the loans. So meanwhile, while people uh cannot afford groceries, cannot afford their medicine, people are saying, "You know what? I'm going to eat this month and I'm not going to take my insulin, um rich people get to deduct the interest on their boats."

[00:21:58]>> To my residents of South Carolina, and this is for South Carolina only, >> um our blacks, when are we going to stand up as a state for anything? A lot of them are just willfully ignorant.

[00:22:11]They are purposely choosing party over what is in their own best interests.

[00:22:20]They have voted Republican. Their grandparents, their parents, their great-grandparents, whatever it is, have voted Republican because they consider it the Christian party.

[00:22:36]um for so long that they they don't want to hear it. They don't want they are willfully ignorant. They're willfully ignoring what is happening. Hi, Bernie Scalero here. Right now in the South Carolina state house, they are debating whether or not to extend their session so that they can redraw their maps in the congre congressional districts. This is pure partisan politics trying to rework the maps so that the power can belong to one party, the Republican party, and push out Representative Jim Klyber, the one Democrat in a congressional district.

[00:23:28]This is not the people voting for who they want in power, but the power controlling the people. We must fight this.

[00:23:39]Let your voices be heard before we lose democracy.

[00:23:42]>> All 124 seats that are in the South Carolina House are being contested. And here's why this is a big deal for Democrats. Despite South Carolina being known as a pretty red state, the problem is is that many of these seats are deeply gerrymandered, which means that most of them are determined during the primary process. That in combination with straight ticket voting, and we are one of a handful of states that still allow straight ticket voting. Voters really haven't had a choice, a real choice in decades. And so now with people stepping up even in districts that may not be seen competitive, it is showing voters that there are people brave enough to give them a choice. And I think that that is very much a turning point in South Carolina politics. I open the power bill.

[00:24:28]$873.74.

[00:24:30]M what? I'm not paying that. When Atlas gets up from his nap, I'm driving down there and I'm going to see was a crackle lacking because I'm not crackacking my card out to pay $873 for one month of power. It's absolutely insane. Bonkers, crazy. I'm not doing it.

[00:24:45]>> When costs go up, like gas, groceries, and healthcare premiums, that hits working families hard. A lot harder than it hits a CEO or a politician insulated from those costs.

[00:24:55]>> If you work hard full-time, you should be able to afford to live with dignity, support your family, and plan for your future. That's not asking for special treatment. That's asking for a fair deal.

[00:25:10]The stories you've heard today reveal how rising utility costs is reshaping everyday life across South Carolina. For many Trump voters, these bills had become more than just monthly expenses.

[00:25:24]They're a growing source of stress, uncertainty, and frustration about the future. Behind every story is a family trying to stay afloat, a worker struggling to keep up, and a community feeling the strain. These voices remind us that economic hardship is deeply personal. Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to hype, like, subscribe, and share this video to help more people hear these stories. Click the video on your screen to continue exploring what's happening in communities across America.