President Donald Trump didn’t just make an impression on the people who heard his speech to the National Rifle Association convention in Atlanta on Friday.

Drivers on several Atlanta freeways and surface streets near the Georgia World Congress Center also were affected.

Although Air Force One didn’t land in Atlanta until shortly after 1:15 p.m., congestion was reported before then on streets near the convention site.

As the Georgia State Patrol began leading the presidential motorcade from the airport, rolling freeway closures began about 1:45 p.m. They involved I-75/85 northbound as well as I-20.

After Trump’s speech ended at 2:35 p.m., the effort began again as the president headed to a fundraiser for GOP congressional candidate Karen Handel in northeast Atlanta.

Shortly before 4 p.m., all lanes were declared open again after Trump had left the Downtown Connector.

And Atlanta traffic returned to its normal Friday challenges, as well as events such as the Billy Joel concert at SunTrust Park (8 p.m.) in Cobb County and the Atlanta Hawks playoff game (7:30 p.m.) at Philips Arena.

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Chairman Jason Shaw presides over a meeting of the Georgia Public Service Commission in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

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Prosecutor Skandalakis has previously suggested that pursuing criminal charges against President Donald Trump may not be feasible until after he leaves office in 2029. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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