Days after Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in Atlanta at the Georgia State University Convocation Center, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance held a rally at the same venue.
Trump, speaking to the crowd, said that he would “overfund the police, if we have to,” in a bid to underscore the contrast between himself and Harris.
He also vowed that under his second administration, police would get “federal immunity.”
He also made sure a few Atlanta-based Georgia officials felt his wrath. He singled out Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger for thwarting his efforts to “find” more than 11,000 votes to overturn the 2020 election.
On Gov. Brian Kemp, Trump credited himself with getting him elected.
“He’s a disloyal guy, and he’s a very average governor. Little Brian. Little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said.
Kemp also responded to a comment made by Kemp’s wife, who said that Trump had not “earned” her vote.
On social media, Kemp responded to Trump, saying: “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past. You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.“
You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.
He also went in on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and former boyfriend Nathan “Loverboy Wade,” as Trump called him.
Saturday’s rally follows Trump’s disastrous performance at a National Association of Black Journalists event earlier in the week in Chicago.
Seconds after being introduced, he said, “You don’t even say hello, how are you? Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network. … I love the black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the black population.”
On Saturday, commentators speculated before the event that Trump would use the opportunity to mend his words — and fences with African-American voters still on the fence.
Supporters posted on social media to show crowds of people in the 19,000-seat arena. From videos posted on social media, the venue did not appear packed.
One of the more surreal moments came when Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said Harris’ pantomime as a black person was akin to Milli Vanilli.
From the looks of the crowd behind him, not everyone was impressed.
Before Trump spoke, supporters, including local Blexit Director Michaela Montgomery, railed against Harris’ appeal to black Americans.
”They don’t want to talk policy, they just want to talk propaganda to steal your vote,” she said.
Just last week, Harris made her sixth visit to Georgia this year, including four weeks ago when she met with former Migos rapper Quavo to talk about how to quell gun violence.
Now she’s coming again, this time with her pick for vice president.