Former President Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp met for the first time in four years on Friday to be briefed on recovery and relief efforts, one week after Hurricane Helen pummeled the southeastern United States, carving a path of destruction. appear together.
The former president and Georgia's popular conservative two-term governor will visit Evans, a town in the northeastern part of the state, where they will work together to receive a briefing on the damage caused by the storm and “make remarks to the press.”
This event is not described as a cancellation of the campaign.
This is President Trump's second trip to Georgia this week, following Monday's visit to Valdosta. The state, along with North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, was hit by the powerful storm. The death toll from Hurricane Helen is now at more than 220, hundreds of people missing, more than 800,000 people in seven states are still without power or water, and the damage estimated to be in the billions. has been done.
President Trump, Biden, Harris claim incompetence in storm response
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks outside the She Watt furniture store during a visit to Hurricane Helen-ravaged Valdosta, Georgia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump's presidential campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris is deadlocked within the margin of error in the key battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina, and he is squaring off with President Biden over the handover of the federal government's response to the storm. He has repeatedly criticized President Harris.
As Biden surveyed storm damage in the Southeast for the second day in a row, President Trump tweeted Thursday in a social media post: “This is the worst and most incompetent management at the federal level I've ever seen.” “It is sinking into a “storm,'''' he said.
Click here for the latest FOX News reporting on the aftermath of Hurricane Helen.
Harris canceled her campaign in Pennsylvania, another key election state, and stopped in Georgia on Wednesday to brief her on the storm and meet with local officials and storm victims.
The vice president will travel to North Carolina on Saturday to assess the damage and receive briefings on federal, state and local efforts.
When Trump visited Valdosta on Monday, Kemp, who was surveying storm damage in other parts of Georgia, did not accompany him.
In the two years since his narrow loss in Georgia to President Biden in the 2020 election, Trump has attacked Kemp for failing to overturn the state's election results.
Mr. Trump encouraged former Sen. David Perdue to challenge Mr. Kemp in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, and later endorsed him.
The former president has toned down his criticism of the governor after Kemp easily won re-election with a landslide victory over Perdue.
Kemp says Trump has no path to 270 without Georgia
But in August, Mr. Trump launched a fiery 10-minute attack on Mr. Kemp at a rally in Atlanta, just blocks from the Georgia State Capitol. He criticized the governor not only for failing to overturn the 2020 vote count, but also for failing to stop county prosecutors from prosecuting the former president who tried to overturn the results.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia on August 3, 2024. Reuters/Megan Varner
“He's a bad man. He's a dishonest man. And he's a very average governor,” Trump said. “Little Brian. Little Brian Kemp. Bad guy.”
But just weeks later, at a critical juncture for Trump, the former president praised Kemp in a social media post. “Your help and support in Georgia is most important because victory is very important for the success of the party and our country.” ”
“I look forward to working with you, your team, and our friends in the state of Georgia to make America great again,” the Republican presidential candidate added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump's change of heart comes as the presidential election in Georgia is being held within the margin of error.
The Peach State is one of seven key battleground states that narrowly decided Biden's victory over Trump in 2020 and will determine whether Harris or Trump will succeed the president in the White House. Very likely.
Republican strategists agree that to win back Georgia, Trump will need support from Kemp's deep-pocketed and deep-pocketed political machine to win over Republican voters. There is.
In this November 4, 2018 file photo, then-Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp (left) joins then-President Donald Trump as Trump arrives for a rally in Macon, Georgia. Walking (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (AP)
In an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital in August, Kemp emphasized that there is “no path for former President Trump to win, and there is no path for any Republican…to get to No. 270.” [electoral votes] Without Georgia. ”
The governor said his state “should be a winnable state if we have all the necessary mechanisms in place. I'm working hard to provide those mechanisms in a variety of ways and swing Republican votes.” “There is,” he said.
“My belief is that we cannot afford to continue this for another four years.” [President] Joe Biden and Kamala Harris or Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov.] “I think Tim Walz is probably worse than Biden or Harris,” Kemp said.
Kemp also told Fox News at the time that Trump's rants from early August were “a small distraction from the past” and that Republicans “need to stay focused on the future. … Why Vote?” We need to tell the people what they should do,” he said. For us, there are a lot of issues about what we're going to do to make things better than they are right now, and where I think we can compare Kamala Harris and her record. ”
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
