How Donald Trump and Brian Kemp Made Peace (For Now)

It also took a timely appearance by Kemp on Fox News, where he repeated the same message he has been delivering for months, that he supports Trump despite their past differences, but at a time calibrated to ensure maximum attention.

The ramifications are still unfolding, according to a half-dozen senior Republican officials granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal negotiations.

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

It remains unclear, for example, whether Kemp will appear at a Trump campaign event or deploy his vaunted political machine, now focused on legislative races, to help the former president win an increasingly competitive battle for Georgia.

Nervous Republicans nonetheless celebrated the unity amid an otherwise dismal week for Trump. Polls show the race tightening in Georgia, a state the Trump campaign has long considered critical to his chances in November.

ExploreA Tortured Timeline: The Ups and Downs of the Kemp-Trump Relationship

Yet few are convinced the truce will hold, given how easily Trump broke it earlier this month with an incendiary social media post followed by a roughly 10-minute tirade at his rally. Several senior Republicans have used similar language to describe the situation.

It's a house of cards.

Trump’s rocky relationship with Kemp dates back to his belief that he was sidelined when the governor chose wealthy executive Kelly Loeffler in 2019 to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat. But things got worse after the 2020 election, when Trump blamed the governor for his election loss and, months later, recruited former U.S. Sen. David Perdue to mount a doomed bid to challenge him.

Kemp was easily elected to a second term in 2022, and a year later, Trump emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. A fragile peace seemed to be settling in, orchestrated by two politicians intent on bringing Georgia back into the GOP camp.

For his part, Kemp has consistently said he will support the Republican ticket no matter who wins, and he went to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to reaffirm his support for Trump. He trashes the Democratic ticket at every opportunity.

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

And Trump initially appeared to look the other way when Kemp offended him, including when the governor revealed that he had voted blank in Georgia's presidential primary in March.

Then, on August 3, the rally was held in downtown Atlanta. Before he even arrived at the University of Georgia, Trump attacked the governor on social media. He then launched a barrage of criticism on stage. Kemp was a disloyal, dirty guy with a mediocre record on crime and the economy. Trump even nicknamed him Little Brian Kemp.

Senior Republicans in the state were discouraged, fearing it could cause lasting damage in a state that respected analysts recently declared undecided.

Trump may have just lost Georgia, said Allen Peake, a former Republican lawmaker.

Desperate to restart, some of Trump's top allies in Georgia have urged him to stick to gasoline and grocery issues and avoid internal conflict.

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credits: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Loeffler, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Republican congressional candidate Brian Jack, allies of Kemp and Trump, have called for calm. Jones, in particular, has had direct conversations with Trump’s campaign and the governor about moving on. Wealthy donors close to Kemp have also pressed him to reassure Trump that he is still in his corner.

A political conference hosted by conservative commentator Erick Erickson a few days after the rally provided Kemp with a platform to do just that. On stage, Kemp declared that his position had not changed and that he would support the candidate and that we would use our political operation to win Georgia.

But the message didn't seem to get through, at least not to the former president. As Democratic delegates gathered in Chicago, several people in Trump's inner circle reached out to Kemp's team to try to work out a plan.

The governor would join Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News on Thursday, just before Harris spoke about a time slot where Trump was likely to be tuning in. He went on the air just as Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a potential 2026 gubernatorial candidate, addressed the crowd about gun violence.

It’s striking that Kemp delivered the same message he has all year long. He said he would fight to help Republicans win from top to bottom and that Georgians can’t afford four years of Harris in the White House.

He also directly invoked the former president's name, rather than simply mentioning the Republican ticket: “We have to put Donald Trump back in the White House.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Credit: Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

For Kemp, it was a continuation of his reelection strategy, when he avoided provoking Trump while campaigning to unite MAGA Republicans and more traditional conservatives.

A potential 2028 presidential candidate, Kemp hasn’t embraced the former president as readily as other former rivals, but he also hasn’t followed former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s path by completely separating himself from the MAGA world. Friends proudly note that he’s blazed his own trail.

His strategy seems to have worked this week, at least for now. Moments after his appearance, Trump posted a tweet praising Kemp. What followed was a parade of praise from the former president’s most ardent MAGA allies.

Debbie Dooley, a longtime outspoken critic of Kemp, said we are now united. And Bill White, a Trump loyalist who once accused Kemp of being a corrupt politician, donated to a pro-Kemp PAC in honor of the governor and his wife.

They will have in us a friend for life for literally burying a hatchet that will now allow us to save our country together and bring us back from the brink of World War III by electing President Trump, White said.

What is less clear is whether this truce will hold and what will happen next.

Kemp and Trump have not spoken directly since 2020. And there is still discussion about whether Kemp’s political network, which has allocated more than $1.5 million to help vulnerable GOP legislative candidates, could be recalibrated to boost Trump.

There are also rumors in Republican circles that Kemp could appear at the upcoming Georgia rally hosted by Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who told reporters Thursday at a stop in Valdosta that he also tried to help smooth things over.

Trump, too, seemed content for now. When he called into Fox News on Thursday night, he didn’t mention his angry tirade against a governor he recently called evil. Now, Trump said, he considers Kemp a very good man.

He said he wanted Trump to win and he was going to work with me 100 percent, the former president said. And I think we're going to have a very good relationship with Brian Kemp.

Credits: TNS

Credits: TNS

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.BizWebsite: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos