President Donald Trump may have been in Iowa last night, but Georgia was clearly on his mind.
The commander-in-chief called Republican Karen Handel soon after her victory over Jon Ossoff and tweeted about the race several times Tuesday, but he wasn't done reflecting on the contest and its symbolism for his agenda. The GOP's stronger-than-expected win in Georgia was still very much on Trump's mind as he took the stage at a rally in Cedar Rapids last night.
"All we do is win, win, win," Trump told the crowd. "We won last night. I can't believe it. They said 'what is going on? What is going on?'"
Trump riffed on the special election results extensively, and particularly on the media coverage after the race was called.
"If she had lost they would have been there for weeks talking about this," he said. "This would have been the greatest defeat in the history of American politics."
"When she won, they said 'projected winner... is Karen Handel,'" Trump said in a sadder tone, mocking some cable newscasters. "And then they said 'we switch to another program.' It was so short. They couldn't get out of there fast enough."
Trump also threw in one last jab at Ossoff and the Democrats.
'They spent close to $30 million on this kid who forgot to live in the community he was in," Trump said. He added that Democrats' "plan isn't working"at the polls.
Even though Handel and Ossoff both insisted that Tuesday's race was a local one, the contest received so much money and national attention precisely because it was seen as a referendum on Trump and his policies.
(Hat tip to our Cox colleague Jamie Dupree.)
Read more 6th District coverage:
About the Author
