Trump Seeks Truce With Georgia Gov. Kemp After Feud

On Thursday night, former President Donald Trump dramatically changed his stance on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican he had recently criticized as a “bad guy” and “average governor,” following growing concerns from Georgia Republicans about the impact of Trump’s attacks on Kemp.

In a Truth Social post, Trump thanked the governor for all his “help and support in Georgia where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.”

“I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help make America great again!” Trump added.

Concerns are rising in Georgia about how Trump’s criticism of Kemp and his wife might affect his chances in the state. 

Polling in Georgia shows a tight race between Trump and Harris. Although the Trump campaign insists it’s in a strong position for the November election, some Georgia Republicans are worried about the effectiveness of the GOP ground game and voter turnout. 

Trump’s post followed less than 10 minutes after Kemp appeared on Sean Hannity‘s Fox News show, where he reaffirmed his support for electing Republicans, including Trump, and discussed his efforts to support ground-level initiatives.

“We’ve got to win. We have to win from the top of the ticket down. I have been saying consistently, for a long time, we cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and I think Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to be even worse,” Kemp told Hannity.

He continued, “We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House, we need to retake the Senate, we need to hold the House, we need to hold our legislative majorities that we have in the great state of Georgia.”

Hannity, a close Trump ally, also asked Kemp to discuss his efforts to ensure “integrity in the election process,” as the tension between the two men stems from Kemp’s refusal to back Trump’s unfounded claims of a rigged 2020 election.

Kemp responded that he anticipates the 2024 election will be “secure, accessible and fair,” and noted passing the Elections Integrity Act in 2021 that overhauled election laws in the state.

Later Thursday night, over an hour after posting about Kemp, Trump was interviewed by Fox News’ Bret Baier, who asked, “Are you making a specific effort in Georgia to make up, if you will, with the Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp?”

Trump replied, “Well I just saw Brian…a very good man – did you ever hear a man named Sean Hannity? He was interviewed by Sean Hannity and he was very nice. He said he wants Trump to win and he’s going to work with me 100 percent, and I think we will have a very good relationship with Brian Kemp.”

Trump’s truce with Kemp is, in many ways, expected.

Two weeks ago at Mar-a-Lago, Trump told reporters he would “love to see [his relationship with Kemp] get repaired.”

Earlier this month, Kemp stated at a political summit that Trump’s recent comments would not affect his support for the former president.

“Despite all of that noise, my position has not changed. I said a long time before the presidential primary ever started…that I was going to support the nominee,” stated Kemp.