Trump's feud with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reportedly predates Election Day

Brian Kemp and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump's feud with Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp exploded into public view last month after President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia by a narrow margin. Trump, who claims — without evidence — that he lost the state because of widespread voter fraud, blames Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for refusing to help him overturn the results, which were confirmed by multiple recounts. But the president reportedly didn't just turn on Kemp in an instant, The Washington Post reports. Instead, tensions have apparently been brewing for some time.

For starters, Trump reportedly believed Kemp wasn't appreciative enough when he endorsed him in his 2018 gubernatorial race. Then, things really boiled over in late 2019 when Kemp selected Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) to fill Georgia's open Senate seat. Trump was reportedly upset Kemp didn't consult him, and when the governor brought Loeffler to the White House to meet the president, Trump reportedly questioned why Kemp bothered coming to Washington if he had already made up his mind. Per the Post, the president never forgave Kemp for the perceived slight, even though he's become a fan of Loeffler.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
Explore More
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.