Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is showing with former President Donald Trump for the primary time since Trump sought to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election outcomes.
Trump is visiting the state to survey harm brought on by Hurricane Helene and is being briefed by native officers together with Kemp. Trump thanked Kemp, and mentioned he is doing an excellent job managing the fallout from the storm.
Trump was requested if he has issues about voting within the state, given the hurricane’s affect.
“I am anxious concerning the individuals, not the vote,” Trump responded. “I am anxious concerning the individuals, lots of people lacking. It is a dangerous one. This was a foul one, dangerous storm, possibly the worst.”
Requested about his relationship with Kemp, Trump mentioned, “It is nice. It is nice.”
Evan Vucci / AP
Kemp endorsed Trump in August, regardless of yearslong pressure between the 2 after Kemp refused his push for a particular legislative session to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election, which Trump misplaced to President Biden. He didn’t vote for Trump or any candidate in Georgia’s main, nonetheless. The previous president publicly berated Kemp and state election officers, and in a January 2021 telephone name with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, instructed Raffensberger to “discover 11,780” votes — the margin of his loss in Georgia — based on audio obtained by CBS Information.
Each Fulton County, Georgia, and particular counsel Jack Smith have individually indicted Trump, accusing him of looking for to overturn the election leads to the state. Trump denies all wrongdoing. Raffensperger said that Georgia had precisely counted the votes, that the election’s integrity had not been violated and that Mr. Biden had gained Georgia.
Trump was reluctant to desert his feud with Kemp, disparaging him as “Little Brian Kemp” at an Atlanta rally earlier than the endorsement and calling Kemp and his spouse disloyal. Kemp responded on X.
Kemp has in the end chosen a unique route than his lieutenant governor on the time, Geoff Duncan. Duncan, additionally a staunch Republican, will not be solely voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, however endorsed her in a speech on the Democratic Nationwide Conference, urging different Republicans to comply with his lead.
“To my fellow Republicans at dwelling that need to pivot again towards coverage, empathy and tone, the appropriate factor to do, now let’s have the braveness to do it in November,” Duncan mentioned on the DNC in Chicago.
“In our household, my spouse, Brooke, and I are elevating three boys and we’ve got a household motto,” Duncan mentioned on the DNC. “And it says, ‘Doing the appropriate factor won’t ever be the incorrect factor.’ Throughout 2020, throughout simply the bottom of lows once we had armed officers outdoors our home defending us from different Republicans, Donald Trump had focused us. My son got here downstairs and he handed me this coaster that I had given him years earlier than at a father-son retreat for our church. And he mentioned, ‘Hey dad, doing the appropriate factor won’t ever be the incorrect factor. Keep robust.'”
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