At Georgia rally, Trump blames 'turncoat' governor for loss

Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Georgia on Saturday in which he endorsed a slate of candidates and harshly denounced incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who Trump claims should have done more to overturn President Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
"Trump voters will not go out and vote for Brian Kemp," Trump said at the rally in Commerce, calling Kemp a "turncoat" and a "RINO." To replace Kemp as governor, Trump has endorsed former Sen. David Perdue (R), who lost his seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff in a 2021 runoff election. In Commerce, Perdue said for the first time that the Senate election was "stolen" from him, the Journal-Constitution reported.
According to The New York Times, Perdue trails Kemp by about 10 points in the polls despite early speculation that Trump's endorsement would instantly make Perdue the frontrunner.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump has struggled to settle into his role as a GOP kingmaker. Last week, he rescinded his endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Rep. Mo Brooks (R) after Brooks suggested Republicans should stop obsessing over the results of the 2020 election. Sean Parnell, who Trump endorsed for a Pennsylvania Senate seat, dropped out of the race in November amid accusations of domestic abuse.
A Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury is investigating Trump over a January 2021 phone call in which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to "find" the 11,780 votes needed to reverse Biden's win.
Trump has endorsed Georgia secretary of state candidate Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) in an attempt to unseat Raffensperger.
The former president also dropped the f-bomb while mocking former Secretary of State John Kerry's comments about climate change. "The ocean will rise one hundredth of one percent over the next 300 f--cking years," Trump said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defects
The Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July movies
the week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
'The way AI is discussed makes it seem like this is a necessary outcome'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Iran: Is regime change possible?
Feature The U.S.-Israeli attack exposed cracks in Iran's regime
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
How will Trump's megabill affect you?
Today's Big Question Republicans have passed the 'big, beautiful bill' through Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling