Georgia Governor Brian Kemp lashes out at Trump after series of violent attacks: ‘Leave my family out of this’
Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp responded to Donald Trump after the former president attacked Kemp and his wife online, escalating divisions within the Republican Party in the state that had been in limbo ahead of Trump’s bid to flip Georgia red in November.
“I am focused on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats. I will not engage in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,” Kemp wrote on X.
βYou should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,β he continued.
Kemp posted his message in response to Trump’s attack on Truth Social ahead of his rally in Atlanta on Saturday.
“Brian Kemp should be focusing his efforts on fighting crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His crime rate in Georgia is terrible, his crime rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his economy is average,” Trump wrote before the thousands gathered for his speech.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp responded to Donald Trump’s attacks by telling the former president, “Leave my family out of this” in a post on X
Trump then went after Kemp’s wife and Georgia’s first lady, Marty Kemp.
“He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I said, ‘I’m telling you, you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you, sir, we’ll never make it right!’ Now she says she won’t support me, and she’ll ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her support, and I don’t want his,” Trump wrote.
Trump and Kemp have had a close relationship for years, but Trump’s animosity toward the Republican Party governor increased after Trump lost Georgia in 2020.
The ex-president reportedly pressured the Republican Party governor to intervene and gather votes to overturn the election results after President Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes in Georgia.
He has also expressed anger over Kemp’s failure to help him in the Fulton County case against him for election interference in Georgia.
Trump wrote Saturday that Kemp is a “bad guy” as he faces another neck-and-neck race in Georgia in November, with Vice President Kamala Harris leading the Democratic ticket.
Trump went after Kemp multiple times during his rally in Atlanta on Saturday after he posted an attack on him and his wife on Truth Social ahead of the event
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp responded to Trump’s online attack after the ex-president attacked his Georgia record and his wife
But despite Kemp urging Trump to keep his family out of it, the former president wasn’t done yet and went after the Republican governor several times in Atlanta on Saturday night.
‘βHe’s a bad guy, a traitor and a very average governor,β Trump said at one point.
Trump also called Atlanta “like a battlefield” and said Kemp should do something about it. Murder and other violent crime in Atlanta fell last year.
The ex-president also went after Kemp’s wife from the podium.
“I don’t want her support. I don’t want his support. I just want them to do their job for Georgia,” Trump said. He accused the couple of obstructing his campaign and claimed, “I think they want us to lose.”
Kemp has said he did not vote for Trump in the Georgia primary. However, before Trump’s latest attacks, he had said he would vote Republican in November. He acknowledged that the former president had won the primary and that he would be at the top of the ticket.
Trump also attacked Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, saying he “needs to do his job and make sure the election is not stolen.”
Raffensperger responded to X writing that the elections in Georgia are secure.
“The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has shown us that this kind of message does not sell well here in Georgia, sir,” he wrote.