The Jolt: Why Kemp continues to challenge Trump and his misleading claims
Gov. Brian Kemp hit back at former President Donald Trump again this weekend, this time slamming him for criticizing state leaders who enforced coronavirus restrictions during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor took to social media to accuse Trump of leading “the opposition to my decision to reopen Georgia.” Kemp referenced the then-president’s criticism of his decision to lift pandemic limits beginning in late April 2020.
“While he listened to (Anthony) Fauci & parroted media talking points, I listened to hardworking Georgians,” Kemp added. “He may not remember, but I sure as hell do.”
Kemp’s post was in response to a recent Trump video mocking “COVID tyrants” and a Friday Trump rally in South Dakota, where the former president praised Gov. Kristi Noem as someone who “never locked down” her state.
But Kemp’s pushback against Trump also reflects a trend from the governor. Not long ago, the sort of attack that Kemp leveled at Trump would have shaken GOP politics in Georgia. Now it’s just the latest denunciation.
Since refusing to engage Trump during last year’s gubernatorial reelection campaign, Kemp has slammed Trump’s obsession with his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden, rebuked the former president’s lies about widespread election fraud, criticized his foreign policy and called him a “loser” for skipping the first GOP debate.
What’s changed? With a second term win under his belt, Kemp is freer to speak his mind while also maintaining he’d support Trump if he wins the nomination.
But his constant warnings about Trump’s brand of politics also put more distance between him and the former president if he loses his comeback bid – and the party seeks new GOP leaders to fill the void.
Here’s how Kemp explained the dynamic in a weekend interview with WRBL’s Chuck Williams:
“I don’t think there’s any question I’ve had more of a national voice just because what I’ve been through, kind of the profile that’s been put upon me. I have been a little bit more outspoken, but it’s really because I want to win. I want a Republican to be serving in the White House. And I don’t believe they can do that unless they can win, whoever our nominee is, wins the state of Georgia … And I don’t see a nominee in our party winning if they were focused on the past.”
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BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA. First lady Jill Biden is headed to Atlanta on Thursday for a fundraiser hosted by Comer Yates and Sally Quillian Yates. Sally Yates is a former top Justice Department official fired by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 for refusing to defend his travel ban.
And as we noted earlier, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will be in Atlanta on Tuesday for a fundraiser hosted by former GOP statewide candidate Guy Millner, strategist Eric Tanenblatt, executive Jay Davis and real estate mogul Steve Selig.
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NO CHARGES. In case you missed it, the report of the Trump special grand jury was released Friday and showed that the jurors suggested indictments for 39 people involved in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, far more than the 19 ultimately charged.
Among the boldfaced names any Jolt reader would recognize were U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, ex-Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, former Georgia U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, former state Sen. William Ligon and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
A special grand jury report is always nonbinding, and speculation abounded Friday about why some on the list were charged and others were not.
Loeffler responded to the news in terms that echoed Trump’s own defense. “Trying to jail your party’s leading political opponent ahead of 2024 is election interference,” she wrote. “Speaking out in defense of election integrity is not.”
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JONESING. The special grand jury report released Friday revealed that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was among the people recommended for indictment whom Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not ultimately charge.
In response, Jones released a scathing statement calling the investigation “a political circus done in pursuit of Fani Willis’ gain.”
But Jones also has a job to do as the second-ranking statewide leader, and his office is moving ahead with business as usual, including collaborations with Democrats.
The latest was an announcement Thursday of a fall tour of historically black colleges and universities around Georgia with state Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta. The two will visit the Atlanta University Center, Albany State University, Savannah State University and Fort Valley State University.
In a statement, Jones said the tour is a part of preparing for the upcoming 2024 legislative session, when he and Halpern could collaborate on legislation to boost Georgia’s HBCUs.
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VP VISITS. Speaking of college tours, Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Morehouse College on Sept. 26 as part of a month-long circuit of universities around the nation meant to mobilize young voters.
She’ll visit about a dozen campuses in seven battleground states during the tour and is expected to focus on abortion rights, climate action, gun safety and higher education policies.
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GEORGIA REMEMBERS. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war on terror that followed claimed the lives of more than 225 Georgians. Those men and women, along with others who died on 9/11 and the Global War on Terror, will be remembered today at the Patriot Day Ceremony at Georgia Military College.
Gov. Brian Kemp will headline the 10th annual event in Milledgeville. Kemp’s remarks will be followed by a somber campus tradition: students and faculty will write the names of all those who died on campus bricks.
Our AJC colleague, Jeremy Redmon, provides an around-the-state roundup of 9/11 remembrance events.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by addressing U.S. service members, first responders and their families in Anchorage, Alaska. Biden is returning to Washington, D.C., from the G20 summit, held in India, and a diplomatic visit to Vietnam.
- The U.S. Senate is in session later today with a confirmation vote scheduled.
- The U.S. House returns Tuesday and will begin work on appropriations bills with a deadline of Sept. 30.
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RIVERWALK RENAMING RIFT. Rechristening the Augusta Riverwalk in honor of the city’s first Black mayor, Edward M. McIntyre Sr., would seem an easy decision. After all, McIntyre pushed for the creation of the picturesque downtown park during his administration.
But the ongoing effort has been fraught with controversy due to McIntyre’s unceremonious departure from office in 1984. He resigned following a felony conviction for extortion.
The Augusta Planning Commission held a hearing on the renaming petition last week and heard public comment from residents both for and against the change. The board declined to take action or issue a recommendation on the matter, instead advancing it on to the Augusta Commission — the equivalent of a city council - to consider at its Sept. 19 meeting
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LOBBYIST TO BID FAREWELL. Longtime statehouse fixture and champion of Georgia’s massive restaurant industry Karen Bremer will retire in January.
Bremer has lobbied on behalf of the Georgia Restaurant Association for 13 years and logged 50 years in the hospitality industry.
Our statehouse colleague James Salzer said Bremer’s role for the industry was particularly important during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, when restaurants had to transition to carryout orders and limit the number of customers they could have in their establishments.
She fought for restaurants to get a piece of the federal pandemic relief funding and backed two measures that allowed restaurants to deliver alcoholic beverages with takeout meals.
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RETIREMENT IN BRUNSWICK. The sprawling Federal Law Enforcement Training Center known as Glynco will get a new leader later this month with the retirement of Thomas J. Walters. He led the Brunswick facility and three other federal training centers for six years.
Last week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas named Benjamine “Carry” Huffman to succeed Walters. Huffman is a 38-year veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and has served in an executive role since 2014.
Glynco, located off Interstate 95, is the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s headquarters site and covers 1,600 acres. It features 18 firearms ranges as well as driver training courses, an explosives training facility and a mock port of entry.
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DOG OF THE DAY. We all have a purpose, even if it’s not the one people would assume. Enter Larry the Beagle, a hunting hound found in Paulding County and eventually adopted by AJC subscribers Nancy and Doug Payne.
A reliable source tells us that Larry embodies the phrase: “This dog won’t hunt.” That may be why he was abandoned in the first place. Instead of chasing deer, this sweet guy is more likely to wag his tail. We’re also told this highly evolved hound’s downward-dog skills are on point, as is his ability to lift a person’s spirits before the sun comes up.
Larry, you may not hunt, but you’re our Dog of the Day!
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
