President Donald Trump won Georgia by a five-point margin, but there seems to be little love lost between him and the state's largest city.
Trump predicted the Atlanta Falcons would lose the Super Bowl in a Fox News interview Sunday, weeks after saying much of the city was in "horrible shape" amid a feud with one of his harshest critics.
The Falcons snub came as little surprise given his famous friendship with a triumvirate of New England Patriots leaders – owner Bob Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. And Falcons owner Arthur Blank, a prominent Democratic donor, was critical of the president in the runup to Sunday's game.
“I love Bob Kraft. I like Coach Belichick. And Tom Brady’s my friend," said Trump. "... I think they’re going to do very well. Tom’s a winner. Their coach is a great coach.”
Of the Falcons, he added: “I think the other team is a fantastic, though. I think it’s a fantastic team.”
Still, when pressed by Fox anchor Bill O’Reilly, he predicted the Falcons would lose by 8 points.
“There’s less pressure on the Patriots because they’ve been there. We’ll see what happens,” he said. “But, you know – you have to stick up for your friends.”
Trump assailed Atlanta last month after Georgia Rep. John Lewis questioned the legitimacy of his presidency and boycotted his inauguration. The Republican called the civil rights icon was "all talk" and cast his district, which covers much of Atlanta, as "falling apart."
Not surprisingly, Georgia Republicans disagree.
Gov. Nathan Deal, who proclaimed Friday "Falcons Day," predicted a 42-21 Atlanta victory.
And Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle gave the Falcons a tighter edge:
And then there's this rather safe prediction from Republican state Sen. Josh McKoon:
About the Author
