Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) appear to have put their political differences aside to work together on winning the 2024 presidential election. The two infamously feuded in the aftermath of the 2020 election, particularly after then-candidate Joe Biden won Kemp’s state of Georgia.
The rift continued as both commented against the other in recent months. During an interview with CNN in May, Kemp stated that he did not vote for Trump in the primary, though he did say he would vote for Trump in the general election. Then, earlier this month, during a campaign rally in Atlanta, Trump again made critical comments about the Georgia governor.
However, when the Georgia governor appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, Kemp seemed to have been the first to extend an olive branch to the former president. During his segment, Kemp declared that it was important for Republicans to be victorious in the upcoming election, including Trump returning to the White House.
“We gotta win,” Kemp said to Hannity. “We gotta win from the top of the ticket on down. We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House. We need to retake the Senate. We need to hold the House.”
Trump was also on Fox News on Thursday night, calling into the network after Vice President Kamala Harris gave her speech at the Democratic National Convention. Trump spoke with Fox commentators Brett Baier and Martha McCallum about Harris’s speech. And, after criticizing the vice president, particularly her record on border security and illegal immigration, Trump was asked if he and Kemp had made amends.
“Are you making a specific effort in Georgia to make up, if you will, with the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp?” Baier asked the former president.
“Well, I just saw Brian on…he was interviewed by Sean Hannity, and he was very nice, and he said he wants Trump to win and he’s going to work with me 100%. I think we’re going to have a very good relationship with Brian Kemp,” Trump responded.
Shortly before his call with Baier and McCallum, and after Kemp’s interview with Hannity, Trump posted on social media to thank Kemp for his support.
Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your 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!…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 23, 2024
“Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country,” Trump posted. “I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
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The desire to work together marks a sharp pivot in Trump and Kemp’s relationship. In addition to the fallout from the 2020 presidential election, Trump supported former Sen. David Perdue’s gubernatorial bid in the primary against Kemp in 2022. However, Kemp won that primary in a landslide, obtaining close to 74% of the votes. Kemp then won the general election against Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams that year.
Georgia is expected to be a vital state in the 2024 election. After Trump won the state with over 211,000 votes in 2016, he lost it in 2020 to Joe Biden with slightly less than 12,000 votes. Currently, the RealClearPolitics polling average has Trump with a very slight 1% point lead over Harris.