Brian Kemp hits back at Trump's repeated attacks on Georgia governor: 'Leave my family out of this'

Former President Donald Trump, at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday, again attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both 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 that Trump 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 key state that the Republican White House candidate must win, and suggested that 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 needs 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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Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Kemp has been repeatedly credited with Georgia's strong economy during his tenure as governor, and his approval rating in the state has soared, with a 63 percent approval rating in a June poll 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 easily defeated Trump-backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue in the primary before defeating Abrams by seven and a half points in a rematch in the general election.

“He should be looking for UNITY, not revenge, especially against the man who got him the nomination with his support and without whom he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote. “He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I told them, ‘I’m telling you you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you, sir, we can never make up for it!’ Now she says she won’t support me and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemps’ name.’ Well, I don’t want his support, and I don’t want hers.”

“They're the ones who made sure Fani Willis and her boyfriend were ready to go. He could have ended this tragedy 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 contentious relationship with Nathan Wade, who was a prosecutor in the case before resigning earlier this year amid scrutiny of the relationship.

Kemp responded to the former president with a message on the social media platform X, saying: “My goal is to win in November and save our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats, without engaging in petty personal insults, attacking my Republican colleagues or dwelling on the past.”

“You should do the same thing, Mr. President, and leave my family out of this,” Kemp said.

Raffensperger also responded to Trump's claims in a post of his own.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp attends a celebration honoring the Georgia Bulldogs' national championship win on January 15, 2022, in Athens, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

“The Georgia election is safe,” Raffensperger wrote on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us that that type of messaging doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”

Kemp notably signed the Georgia Election Integrity Act of 2021, which includes requiring ID to vote, extending early voting and ensuring that a ballot drop box is available in every county.

At Saturday’s rally, Trump criticized Kemp in a 10-minute rant over baseless allegations that the governor was responsible for his loss to Biden and for failing to stop Willis from pursuing the Georgia election interference case. A state commission has the power to sanction and fire prosecutors who don’t follow the law after Kemp signed a bill, but the governor doesn’t have the power to fire prosecutors.

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

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

Biden beat 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 have also tried to run lists of so-called “fake voters” who could replace the Democratic electors Biden won.

Trump was later indicted in Georgia for trying to overturn the election, though the case is now on hold while the courts decide whether Willis can continue to pursue it.

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

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at a campaign night rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The governor did not endorse anyone in this year's Republican primary but said he would vote for the Republican ticket in November, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee after Biden suspended his re-election campaign, seek to win the key swing state of Georgia, which had gone to the Republican presidential nominee 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, Harris' campaign released a statement from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served alongside Kemp during the governor's first term.

“If you could see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who doesn’t 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, self-centered campaign.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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