COLUMBIA, S.C. — Speaking to an audience of voters who could cast the first ballots in the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore exhorted them to embrace urgency as they fight against Republican President Donald Trump.

In fact, Moore told a crowd of hundreds of South Carolina Democrats, their party could learn something from Trump.

“Urgency is the instrument of change. And do you know who understands that really well? Donald Trump!” Moore said, to a few groans from the audience. “I want to be clear: We can — and we must — condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we will be foolish not to learn from his impatience.”

Trump, he said, isn’t interested in studies or white papers before taking action, whether it’s engaging in “arbitrary” trade wars or making efforts to “dismantle” democracy.

“If he can do so much bad in such a small amount of time, why can’t we do such good?” Moore asked. “Now is the time for us to be impatient, too. Let’s not just talk about an alternative. Let’s not just study an alternative. Let’s deliver the alternative.”

Moore’s remarks came in his role as a featured speaker at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner on Friday, the party’s annual fundraising event that’s part of its “Dem weekend” of activities.

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South Carolina has held an early presidential primary for nearly three decades, and events in the Palmetto State have drawn top national Democratic figures — including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, last year’s vice presidential candidate, who will address the state party’s convention Saturday morning.

Moore and Walz were scheduled to appear later Friday night at U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry, a free and more casual event than the Blue Palmetto Dinner. Clyburn, 84, is a revered figure in South Carolina politics as the state’s top elected Democrat and a kingmaker within the party.

Moore also mixed in some official state business during his swing to South Carolina, visiting a pharmaceutical company, a defense tech company and a company building a truck and SUV factory.

But a big thrust of his visit was political, and during his speech to the party faithful, Moore urged the crowd to action. The Democratic Party, he said, should not be a party of “no and slow” but of “yes and now” — a line that drew applause and murmurs of approval.

“We must be the party of action. Because right now the people of this country are calling on us to act,” he said.

Those actions must include growing the middle class, ensuring people feel safe in their communities, improving affordable health care and providing good schools, he said. As Moore ticked off each item on the list, the audience offered responses of “yes” and more applause.

Moore touted his accomplishments in Maryland, including pardoning thousands of people for convictions of marijuana possession and working with lawmakers to support laid-off federal workers and fund historically Black colleges and universities.

At another point, he declared: “Our fight for the future does not take place in the future. The battleground is here; the fight is now.”

Moore wove in some of his biographical background that is familiar to Marylanders for the benefit of the South Carolina crowd, including his father’s death, being raised by his immigrant single mother and scrapes with trouble as a kid.

He added details of his ties to South Carolina, noting one of his grandfathers, the Rev. James Joshua Thomas, was born in Charleston and “had South Carolinian grit in his bones,” but racism forced his family to flee to Jamaica. He eventually returned.

“He loved this country not because he was ignorant of our complicated past. ... He loved this country because of the hope for a better future,” Moore said.

His grandfather lived with urgency, a trait passed along to Moore the grandson.

“I will never waste time, wasting time — ever,” Moore said.