Former President Donald Trump on Friday made his second stop in battleground Georgia this week to assess the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, where he was joined by Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for the first times since 2020.
During Friday’s stop, Trump and Kemp — who previously had a frosty relationship — received a briefing on the devastation of Hurricane Helene before delivering a speech to the press in Evans, Georgia. More than 200 people were killed by Hurricane Helene, which devastated Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
During his speech, Trump praised Kemp after relentlessly criticizing him and his wife just a few months ago.
“It’s great,” Trump said of his relationship with Kemp.
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, shakes hands with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp after speaking at a temporary relief shelter as he tours areas affected by Hurricane Helene, the October 4, 2024, in Evans, Georgia.
Evan Vucci/AP
“We work together. We’ve always worked really well, really, really, well together,” Trump said.
Kemp immediately walked out after Trump finished his remarks before reporters could ask him questions.
Before the event, Trump toured the Columbia County Emergency Operations Center after arriving in Augusta, Georgia, where he participated in an emergency management briefing and greeted volunteers and first responders. Kemp sat next to Trump during the briefing.
The joint appearance came after Trump’s visit earlier in the week, when he injected politics into his day and falsely claimed that Kemp was unable to contact President Joe Biden about the federal aid, although earlier in the day Kemp confirmed he had spoken with the president.
While Friday’s remarks were not a campaign event, it is worth noting that the state’s popular Republican governor appeared alongside Trump after opting not to join Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during their visits to the state earlier this week.
Kemp praised Trump at Friday’s event, saying he appreciated Trump for helping keep the nation’s “focus on those suffering in Georgia.”
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, listens as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks during a visit to a temporary relief shelter as he tours areas affected by Hurricane Helene, on October 4, 2024, in Evans, Georgia.
Evan Vucci/AP
Kemp headlined an Atlanta fundraiser for Trump in late August, a sign of how Kemp is working to re-elect Trump despite the former president’s previous crusade against him.
The former president had publicly and repeatedly criticized Kemp in recent years and even persuaded former Republican senator David Perdue to launch a primary campaign against him in 2022, which failed, after Kemp refused to give in to attempts to Trump to overturn the state’s election results. in 2020.
However, in recent weeks, Trump appeared to settle his grievances with the popular Republican governor after watching an appearance by Kemp on Fox News, during which Kemp criticized Biden and Harris and pledged to encourage Republicans to vote for Trump in the election. Day.
“I also want to thank Governor Brian Kemp, who is working around the clock to solve this problem. He is working hard around the clock,” Trump said Monday of the governor’s response to Hurricane Helene, during his visit to Valdosta, Georgia.
The comments represent a stark change in rhetoric from the last time Trump campaigned in Georgia, where he repeatedly attacked Kemp and his wife.
“He’s a bad guy, a disloyal guy and a very average governor,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Atlanta in early August, just days before he began praising the governor. Georgia and to raise money for him.
An unidentified man paddles a canoe to rescue residents and their belongings at a flooded apartment complex after Hurricane Helene passed through the area September 27, 2024 in Atlanta.
Ron Harris/AP
Trump’s change in attitude toward Kemp underscores the importance of winning the battleground state for the Trump campaign after Harris took over as Democratic leader in early summer and upset the presidential election.
The race in Georgia remains incredibly close, with Trump at 48.4% and Harris at 47.1%, according to the most recent polling average of 538.
Also during Friday’s press briefing, ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked Trump if he acknowledged that the economy is doing well while the stock market and job creation are soaring, to which Trump responded. replied: “No, that’s not the case.”
“Inflation is… it has devastated our economy. It’s one of our biggest problems,” the former president said, later adding, “we have to give jobs to people who have lived here for long, and they” We are great, great citizens of our country. »
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, ABC News’ “Good Morning America” is set to offer five days of special coverage titled “Southeast Strong: Help After Helene” (#SoutheastStrongABC), spotlighting communities across the southeast affected by Hurricane Helene and emergency situations. efforts to help them recover.
