Brian Kemp shoots back after Trump repeats attacks on Georgia governor: ‘Leave my family out of it’

Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday again attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both of whom are Republicans, for their refusal to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State.

The governor responded by suggesting Trump should focus on winning in November and refrain from “petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”

Before the rally, Trump criticized Kemp, a popular Republican governor in a must-win swing state for the Republican White House hopeful, and suggested the governor should be “fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party.” 

Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife, Marty, for saying she would write in her husband’s name for president in November instead of voting for the former president.

“Brad Raffensperger has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Brian Kemp should focus 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.”

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Kemp has repeatedly been credited for Georgia’s strong economy during his time as governor and his approval rating in the state has soared, with a 63% approval rating in a June poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The governor narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election after receiving Trump’s endorsement. In 2022, Kemp cruised to a win over Trump-backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the primary before defeating Abrams by seven and a half points in a rematch in the general election.

“He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote. “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 be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement, and I don’t want his.”

“They’re the ones who got Fani Willis and her boyfriend all ‘jazzed up’ and ready to go. He could have ended that travesty with a phone call, but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy,” he continued.

Trump was referring to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is prosecuting Trump’s election interference case in Georgia, and her controversial relationship with Nathan Wade, who was a prosecutor in the case before resigning earlier this year amid scrutiny over the relationship.

Kemp responded to the former president with a post on the social media platform X, 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,” Kemp said.

Raffensperger also replied to Trump’s claims in a post of his own.

“Georgia’s elections are secure,” Raffensperger wrote on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”

Kemp, notably, signed Georgia’s Election Integrity Act into law in 2021 that includes requiring identification to vote, extending the early voting period and ensuring a ballot drop box will be available in every county.

During the rally on Saturday, Trump criticized Kemp in a 10-minute rant over baseless claims the governor was responsible for his loss to Biden and for not stopping Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election interference case. A state commission has powers to discipline and remove prosecutors for not following the law after Kemp signed a bill into law, but the governor does not have the ability to remove prosecutors.

“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor. Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said.

The former president has continued to repeat false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes in 2020, and the former president pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win. Trump and his allies also attempted to present slates of so-called “fake electors” that could replace the Democratic voters Biden won.

Trump was later indicted in Georgia for attempting to overturn the election, although the case is now on hold as the courts decide whether Willis can continue to prosecute it.

Kemp certified the electors that Biden won in 2020 and rejected efforts by Trump allies to replace them.

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The governor did not endorse anyone in this year’s GOP primary but has said he will vote for the Republican ticket in November, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee after Biden suspended his re-election campaign, look to win the battleground state of Georgia, which had gone to the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1996 before Biden won it four years ago.

Harris’ campaign correctly predicted before Trump’s rally that he would deny the 2020 election results.

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After the rally, the Harris campaign released a statement from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served alongside Kemp during the governor’s first term.

“If you were able to see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who does not care about uniting this country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election,” Duncan said in the statement. “Millions of Americans are fed up with his grievance-filled campaign focused only on himself.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.