President Donald Trump won't be trekking to Georgia until Sunday, but apparently the gubernatorial race is already high on his mind. The commander-in-chief told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he considered Abrams "not qualified" to be the state's top executive.
He did not elaborate much in his comments to White House reporters, who had asked about Oprah Winfrey’s Georgia visit.
"Take a look at her past. Take a look at her history. Take a look at what she wants to do and what she has in mind for the state,” Trump said of Abrams. “That state will be in big, big trouble very quickly. And the people of Georgia don't want that."
This isn’t the first time Trump has asserted the former state House minority leader and Yale law graduate isn’t up to snuff. He tweeted a similar comment last month.
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be a great governor. He has been successful at whatever he has done, and has prepared for this very difficult and complex job for many years. He has my Strong Endorsement. His opponent is totally unqualified. Would destroy a great state!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2018
Abrams has refrained from attacking Trump directly on the campaign trail.
She previously quipped that Trump must have thought she won her past debate against Kemp after he last bashed her.
Someone watched Kemp lose last night’s debate.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) October 24, 2018
Now, watch us win. Sign up to volunteer: https://t.co/NfiG5dXAZZ #gapol pic.twitter.com/vWuXecdmek
Trump's comments came as his vice president, Mike Pence, repeatedly took shots at Abrams during a series of campaign stops for her Republican opponent Brian Kemp.
Pence said Abrams was “bankrolled by Hollywood liberals” and warned she wanted to grow government.
Trump will be in Macon on Sunday afternoon to headline a for Kemp and other GOP candidates.
“Nobody has a crowd like we have because people want to see a great governor of Georgia,” Trump told reporters, referring to the upcoming Macon event. “And I think Brian's going to be a great governor of Georgia... He's totally qualified.”
