Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has responded to comments made by Donald Trump, who said he was a “bad guy” and “disloyal.”
The former president criticized Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Truth Social this weekend prior to a Republican rally in Atlanta. “Brad Raffensperger has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen,” Trump wrote.
“Brian Kemp should focus his efforts on fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average.”
Following Joe Biden narrowly winning Georgia by a 49.47 percent plurality over Trump’s 49.24 percent vote share—a margin of 0.23 percent and 11,779 votes—in 2020, the former president allegedly attempted in vain to convince Kemp to overturn the election result.
“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 said on X on Sunday, urging Trump to “leave my family out of it.”
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.
You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it. pic.twitter.com/m8y6CSuZKY
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) August 3, 2024
In his Truth Social post, the former president claimed Kemp’s wife, Marty Kemp, thought her husband was going to lose in 2020 until he demonstrated his support.
“He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I said, ‘I’m telling you you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you Sir, we’ll never be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement, and I don’t want his,” Trump continued.
On Saturday, while speaking at the rally at Georgia State University Convocation Center, Trump criticized Kemp again, saying the Republican governor was “average” and called him “little Brian Kemp.”
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“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor,” Trump said at the campaign rally in Atlanta in one of several comments aimed at Kemp and Raffensperger, another Republican who also resisted Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss to Biden in the state.
Georgia is likely to see another closely contested election in November. According to an aggregate result of polls published by FiveThirtyEight, as of August 3, Trump leads Harris by 1 percentage point at 45.8 percent compared to the Democrat’s 44.8 percent.
Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris took part in her own rally just days before at the same venue. During her speech, she told her supporters that the “path to the White House runs right through this state.”