In Georgia, Trump returns to a familiar theme — the 2020 election
ROME — President Donald Trump returned to Georgia on Thursday for the first time since reclaiming the White House, revisiting the grievance that has defined his relationship with the state for much of the decade: his 2020 defeat.
In a nearly 80-minute speech at Coosa Steel Corporation, Trump focused largely on his economic agenda in a deep-red northwest corner of the state he easily captured in all three of his White House races.
But he also revived debunked claims of widespread election fraud and praised the FBI’s raid of Fulton County’s election hub, an investigation rooted largely in allegations that multiple audits have already rejected.
“The Democrats are fighting like hell to not let anybody see the ballots. Why don’t they want them to see the ballots after all these years?” Trump asked the crowd of several hundred.
“You know why they don’t want that — because they cheated … They cheated like dogs.”
His remarks came as the Trump-allied majority on the State Election Board stoked speculation about a potential takeover of the voting system in Fulton County, the state’s most populous county and one of its most liberal strongholds. Trump, too, has amplified those calls.
Three separate vote tallies — including a hand recount of every ballot cast — upheld Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia. State and federal officials have repeatedly rejected claims that widespread fraud changed the outcome. And many Republicans have urged him to focus on affordability rather than a nearly six-year-old defeat.
On Thursday, he largely did. The bulk of his remarks centered on his economic agenda, drawing cheers inside the tire-rack manufacturing plant, where the company’s owner credited Trump’s policies with helping spark a business resurgence.
Trump touted tariffs, regulatory rollbacks and the ouster of Venezuela’s leader as evidence that his administration is delivering prosperity and bringing down energy costs, seeking to sharpen his economic pitch ahead of a volatile midterm cycle.
“I had to listen to the fake news talk about affordability. You notice, what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability,” he said. “Because I won. I won affordability.”
But even as he arrived in Georgia, he couldn’t resist returning to his narrow defeat.
“All those crooked ballots were taken,” he said during a brief stop at The Varsity in Rome, where he ordered dozens of cheeseburgers for his staff and supporters.
“Let’s see what happens. It’s a disgrace, but what are you going to do? We’re cleaning it up.”
Volatile cycle
The visit unfolded as Georgia Republicans navigate high-stakes contests: an open governor’s race, a marquee congressional vacancy left by former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and mounting concerns about GOP chances of defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
In the heart of Greene’s former district, Trump avoided taking new swipes at the one-time ally he has since regularly labeled a “traitor.” He did heap praise on his pick in the March 10 special election to succeed her: Former prosecutor Clay Fuller, a self-described “MAGA warrior” without Greene’s knack for controversy.
Nor did Trump dramatically reshape the state’s marquee races.
He reaffirmed his support for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, whose front-runner status has been challenged by the surprise entry of billionaire Rick Jackson and his pledge to spend at least $50 million of his own fortune.
“All these guys are coming in now, loaded up with somebody, who the hell knows how much money he’s got?” Trump said of Jackson, who has promised to be Trump’s “favorite governor.” “But Burt Jones has been here and been with you and been with me right from the beginning.”
Jackson’s campaign saw the event as cause for celebration, since Trump stopped short of harsher attacks he’s leveled at other rivals of his favored candidates.
“Nothing changed about the race today that wasn’t true yesterday,” said Jackson spokesman Brian Robinson. “Burt Jones is still losing and Rick Jackson will still be President Trump’s favorite governor.”
Trump declined to endorse a candidate in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, where U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley are vying for his backing.
He did, however, summon Collins to the stage, where he urged Republicans to turn out in waves to support Trump’s agenda. Dooley, standing in the crowd, noted polls showing a plurality of likely GOP voters remain undecided.
“We’re early. We’re like in training camp, and the election season is about to kick off,” he said in an interview. “Each week I’ve been more and more confident that I’m in the right lane, I’ve got the best message and I’m the guy to beat Jon Ossoff.”
The biggest surprise of the event may have been Trump’s praise of Georgia’s starting quarterback, Gunner Stockton, who greeted the president at the airport and later joined him briefly on stage alongside former Senate candidate and football icon Herschel Walker.
“This is an awesome experience,” Stockton said, clearly startled by the shout-out. “I’m glad to be here.”
The president’s critics cast the all-outjockeying for Trump’s favor as political theater more suited for a reality show than Georgia’s highest offices.
Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said MAGA Republicans will “pay the price for bending the knee to Trump’s harmful agenda over doing what’s right for hardworking Georgians.”
“Trump’s trip to a deep-red Georgia district to desperately attempt to sell his failing economy is a bright, flashing warning sign with a siren on top,” he said.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, said Georgia voters are concerned with the rising cost of health care and utilities while Trump seems focused on other things.
“While the president is in Georgia, let us all hope that he gets to see firsthand what it means to struggle in this state,” Bottoms said Thursday, “and that he gets to see firsthand what it means for families and communities who are struggling to make ends meet.”
Local Republicans, meanwhile, say they’re wary of complacency in a midterm where the GOP’s House majority — and the trajectory of Trump’s second term — are on the line.
“They need to get out and get involved and not believe everything they read,” she said. “Do your homework and knock on doors. The people who show up win.”
Melanie Collier, a longtime grassroots activist, said the “uncertainty” swirling ahead of the midterms is unnerving. But she said Thursday’s visit could start steadying the party.
“And I think Trump’s presence is going to make a tremendous difference,” she said. “He always energizes the base.”
Staff writer Tia Mitchell contributed to this story.
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
