Before his rally, Trump attacked Kemp on his social media platform, Truth Social, accusing him of prioritizing “Unity and the Republican Party” over combating crime. Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife, Marty, for planning to write in her husband’s name rather than voting for the Republican nominee in the upcoming election.
At the rally, Trump delivered a roughly 10-minute tirade against Kemp, calling him a “bad guy,” “disloyal,” and “very average.” He also referred to him derogatorily as “Little Brian, Little Brian Kemp.”
In response, Kemp took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge Trump to “leave my family out of it” and criticized him for engaging in “petty personal insults” and focusing on past grievances rather than current issues. “Stop attacking fellow Republicans,” Kemp added.
The clash comes as Georgia is poised for another tightly contested election, with Democrats energized by Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. To secure a win, Trump will need to garner support from Kemp’s political network and moderate voters, beyond his base.
Trump’s rally in Atlanta, Georgia’s largest media market, attracted thousands of supporters. Among them was Draic Coakley, a 23-year-old trucking industry worker from Heflin, Alabama, who attended his third Trump rally. Coakley expressed his belief that Trump “gets us” and contrasted him with what he sees as the elitism of Biden and Harris.
In the 2020 election, Biden won Georgia by 11,779 votes. Trump’s attempts to overturn the results included pressuring Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes and presenting slates of “fake electors.” Trump was indicted in Georgia for his efforts, but the case is on hold pending court decisions.
Kemp, who certified Biden’s electors and resisted Trump’s efforts to replace them, has managed to maintain his position of influence within the GOP. Despite Trump’s endorsement of Kemp’s primary rival in 2022, Kemp won reelection decisively against Democrat Stacey Abrams and is expected to chair the Republican Governors Association for the 2026 cycle.
Conservative commentator Erick Erickson criticized Trump for his focus on personal attacks rather than uniting the party. “Trump can’t help himself,” Erickson wrote on X. “If he loses, it’ll be because of this stuff, not a stolen election.”
While both parties are concentrating on Georgia, recent Democratic efforts have shifted focus to the Midwest following Biden’s campaign exit. Trump’s allies have urged him to concentrate on key issues like the economy and immigration, areas where they believe he holds an advantage over Harris.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, used the rally to attack Harris, describing her as a “San Francisco liberal” and claiming Trump had “exposed a massive coverup” during the debates that led to Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
The Harris campaign preemptively criticized Trump’s rally, predicting he would continue to deny the 2020 election results and expressed disappointment over his decision to propose a debate with Harris on Fox News instead of attending a previously agreed-upon debate.
Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who has repudiated Trump, commented after the rally, accusing Trump of prioritizing his own grievances over the needs of the country. “Millions of Americans are fed up with his grievance-filled campaign focused only on himself,” Duncan said.