Trump tries to broker truce between Jackson, Jones after bitter GOP primary
President Donald Trump is trying to play peacemaker between Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, personally stepping in to broker a truce after one of the nastiest Republican primaries for governor in Georgia history.
Trump called Jones last month and urged him to meet with Jackson, who defeated Jones in a GOP primary in June, according to three people with direct knowledge of the conversation who aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the exchange.
“It’s not that easy,” Jones told him, according to the people. “He spent $150 million trashing me and my family. You wouldn’t like it if they did that to you.”
Trump hasn’t given up. The people say the White House is still pressing both camps to cool tensions ahead of a tough November race against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The extent of the rupture between the rivals became clear last month when Jones told the “Politically Georgia” podcast he wasn’t just withholding an endorsement of Jackson. He wouldn’t even commit to voting for him.
“We’ll see,” Jones said when asked if he’d cast a November ballot for Jackson. “Obviously, I’m interested in supporting and keeping Georgia Republican-run and keeping it red. And I think November is going to be a challenge.”
The White House and Jones declined to comment. So did Jackson. But his campaign previously said that although Jackson would welcome Jones’ support, Republicans are united and focused on November.
There are other obstacles to any detente.
Jones has repeatedly pressed Jackson to take responsibility for a roughly $20 million ad campaign by a shadowy anonymous group targeting him, something Jackson has denied.
And Jones has indicated he could be willing to reconsider his position if the billionaire drops the defamation lawsuit he filed against Jones during the primary.
In the earlier interview, Jones brought up the lawsuit and accused Jackson of spending the race “trashing me, trashing my family, trashing basically everything that I had done.”
There’s little sign Jackson is prepared to drop the complaint.
In a scorching 22-page court filing last week, Jackson’s lawyers ratcheted up the rhetoric as they urged a judge to reject Jones’ motion to dismiss the case.
Jackson’s attorneys accuse Jones and his campaign of “maliciously” defaming Jackson, calling their attempt to dismiss the case “baseless” and saying an argument from Jones’ lawyers “borders on bad faith frivolity.”
They also argue against resolving the case before discovery, saying Jackson should get the chance to investigate what they describe as “numerous misdeeds” by the Jones campaign.
“This is a textbook case of malicious, knowing, and calculated defamation. The Jones Defendants should be held accountable,” read the filing. “There is zero justification for dismissing this lawsuit.”
The legal warfare cuts both ways. Jones Petroleum, the lieutenant governor’s family’s firm, has separately filed a $100 million lawsuit against Jackson and his campaign over attacks accusing the company of profiting from an illegal gambling enterprise. Jackson’s attorneys have called those claims baseless and retaliatory.
Trump’s effort to mend the rift is a notable turn for a president who has triggered some of Georgia’s deepest Republican feuds over the past decade rather than trying to smooth them over. And he wasn’t merely an observer in this one. Trump endorsed Jones last year and repeatedly reinforced his support during the campaign.
Jackson won anyway, overcoming both Trump’s endorsement and Gov. Brian Kemp’s late backing of Jones with a record-breaking campaign fueled by more than $108 million of his own money. The president quickly endorsed Jackson after his victory, praising him for running a “great TRUMP campaign.”
The lingering rift is unsettling some grassroots Republicans.
Polls show Jackson with overwhelming support among MAGA voters, but some activists worry the infighting could hobble efforts to defeat Bottoms, who is trying to become the first Democrat elected to Georgia’s top job since 1998 and the first Black woman governor in U.S. history.
Habersham County GOP Chair Carl Blackburn said he understands why Jones is reluctant to rally behind Jackson, even if he wishes the lieutenant governor would move on.
“From a personal standpoint, it’s hard to blame him,” Blackburn said. “But as a party guy, it’s a little disappointing. It’s understandable. But I can’t dwell on that. The past is the past, and we’re looking forward to November.”