Donald Trump reigniting his feud with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) might cost him the crucial swing state in the November presidential election.
Before hitting the stage for a rally in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, Trump attacked Kemp on Truth Social, accusing him of “fighting Unity and the Republican Party.”
On stage, he told his supporters that Kemp is “a bad guy, he’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor,” and under his leadership Georgia has “gone to hell.”
The attacks have reopened old wounds and left several Georgia Republicans angry, confused and worried that Trump is once again setting himself up for failure in the key battleground state.
“A lot of republicans like me might just decide not to vote at all in the presidential election because of stupid antics like tonight,” former GOP legislator Allen Peake told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Trump may have just lost Georgia.”
Other Republicans pointed out the miscalculation in attacking a popular governor whose political apparatus Trump will need to win the state.
“I’m sitting here scratching my head,” Bobby Saparow, Kemp’s former campaign manager, told Politico. “Attacking the popular governor of a pivotal swing state makes zero sense. If we want to actually unite, ask for the support of the guy who beat your endorsed primary opponent by 52 points and handily defeated Stacey Abrams.”
“Over 30,000 people refused to vote for [Trump] in Georgia in 2020 and he lost by about 12,000 votes,” Georgia Republican and radio host Erick Erickson said. “All he’s doing is reminding everyone why they don’t like him. And he has no Georgia ground game and will have to rely on Kemp. It’s going to hurt him.”
“I think the more important point is that you’re trying to unify your party and you personally attack the most popular politician in the state who has said he’s supporting you,” a GOP operative in Georgia told Politico. “It’s batshit crazy.”
