Politics can bring about all sorts of shocking twists and turns. But no one was ready for this.
As the Trump campaign was stunned after a Trump rival announced their support support behind the former president.
Former President Donald Trump and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) appear to have set aside their past political differences as they focus on the 2024 presidential race.
Their feud, which became highly public following the 2020 election—when Joe Biden secured a victory in Georgia—now seems to have cooled in the face of a shared goal: winning back the White House.
The tension between the two persisted for some time, with each taking jabs at the other. In May, Kemp mentioned during a CNN interview that he hadn’t voted for Trump in the primary, although he clarified he would back him in the general election.
More recently, at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Trump took another swing at Kemp, criticizing his handling of various issues.
Yet, in a surprising turn, Kemp was the first to offer a sign of reconciliation. During an appearance on Fox News’s Sean Hannity show, Kemp made it clear that the upcoming election is a crucial moment for Republicans. He emphasized that unity was essential to achieving victory across the board, including Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
“We gotta win,” Kemp stated firmly on Hannity’s program. “We gotta win from the top of the ticket on down. We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House. We need to retake the Senate. We need to hold the House.”
Trump, for his part, appeared on Fox News just hours after Kemp’s interview. He called in to speak with commentators Brett Baier and Martha McCallum following Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.
After sharply criticizing Harris’s record, particularly on immigration and border security, Trump was asked by Baier if he had made peace with Kemp.
“Are you making a specific effort in Georgia to make up, if you will, with the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp?” Baier asked.
“Well, I just saw Brian on…he was interviewed by Sean Hannity, and he was very nice, and he said he wants Trump to win and he’s going to work with me 100%. I think we’re going to have a very good relationship with Brian Kemp,” Trump replied, suggesting that the two had come to an understanding.
Shortly after his interview, Trump took to social media to express his gratitude for Kemp’s support.
“Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 23, 2024
I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!…
This shift marks a significant moment in the relationship between Trump and Kemp, especially considering their contentious history.
Following the 2020 election, Trump had openly criticized Kemp and even supported former Sen. David Perdue in a primary challenge against him in 2022.
However, Kemp went on to win that primary by a landslide, securing nearly 74% of the vote, and later defeating Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in the general election.
As the 2024 election approaches, Georgia is once again expected to play a pivotal role. After Trump won the state by more than 211,000 votes in 2016, he narrowly lost it to Biden in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes. Currently, polling shows Trump with a slim lead over Harris in the state, indicating that Georgia will be fiercely contested in the upcoming election.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
