Former President Donald Trump launched a fierce attack on Georgia Governor Brian Kemp during a campaign rally in Atlanta on Saturday, claiming that Kemp’s actions were detrimental to his reelection efforts in the state. Trump accused Kemp, a fellow Republican, of failing to assist in his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy, and he’s a very average governor,” Trump stated, referring to Kemp and also criticizing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another Republican who opposed Trump’s efforts to contest his loss to President Biden in Georgia. Trump referred to Kemp as “Little Brian Kemp.”
This confrontation has reignited tensions between Trump and Georgia’s Republican representatives, particularly as the former president lost the state by a narrow margin in 2020 and had placed significant pressure on both Kemp and Raffensperger to reverse the outcome of the election. Trump faces ongoing legal challenges following his indictment by an Atlanta grand jury for his attempts to change the election results.
“In my opinion, they want us to lose,” Trump remarked, referring to Kemp and Raffensperger.
Trump’s criticism of Kemp and Raffensperger carries weight, given that Georgia is a crucial battleground state that could influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, and Kemp enjoys a strong following within the state.
In response, Kemp addressed Trump’s comments earlier on Saturday, particularly a post on Truth Social where Trump targeted Kemp’s wife, Marty Kemp. “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats—not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,” Kemp posted on X, previously known as Twitter. He added, “You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.”
During the rally, Trump attributed rising crime rates in Georgia to Kemp’s leadership, asserting that “Atlanta is like a killing field,” and declaring, “Georgia has gone to hell.”
Kemp had previously opted not to vote for Trump in this year’s GOP primaries, explaining to CNN in June that he submitted a blank ballot because “at that point, it didn’t really matter.” However, he has indicated that he will support the GOP nominee in the general election.