Former President Donald Trump’s rally in Atlanta on Saturday — in which he repeatedly attacked Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) — has evidently left GOP leaders in the critical battleground state of Georgia absolutely furious.
A pair of new reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Politico quotes several prominent Republicans — some on the record, some anonymously — as being equally angry and confused by Trump’s attacks on Saturday night.
“I’m sitting here scratching my head,” said former Kemp campaign manager Bobby Saparow in an interview with 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.”
“Attacking a successful and popular governor is not only wrong, it’s politically stupid,” added Cole Muzio, a close Kemp ally, in an interview with the AJC. “The stakes are too high for pettiness — and for the candidate to actively undermine his own chances.”
During the rally, Trump told his supporters that Kemp is “a bad guy, he’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor.” He added that under Kemp’s watch, Georgia has “gone to hell.”
The former president’s feud with Gov. Kemp has been simmering since the 2020 election. Trump has baselessly claimed the state’s election was rigged and has blamed the governor for his loss. Trump is currently facing criminal charges in connection with an election fraud scheme in Fulton County, GA. Trump’s attacks on Kemp — whose approval rating clocked in at 63 percent in a recent poll, making him one of the most popular governors in the country — did not sit well with key Republicans in the state.
“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 Georgia GOP operative told Politico. “It’s batshit crazy.”
“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 AJC. “Trump may have just lost Georgia.”
The backlash from Trump’s rally underscores the ongoing divisions within the GOP as the party navigates the complex dynamics of aligning behind a candidate while managing internal conflicts. The criticism from within the party reflects a broader concern about the potential impact of Trump’s rhetoric on the GOP’s prospects in Georgia, a pivotal state for future elections.