Trump is leading in the polls in Georgia and Kemp owns one of the country’s most formidable state party machines.
Former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp found the perfect narrative Thursday night to upstage Vice President Kamala Harris’s nomination acceptance speech, ending their feud dating to the 2020 election with a full-throated embrace that played out on national television.
The mutual endorsement reunited two of the GOP’s most powerful figures heading into the November election, and made the road for Democrats to score a win in Georgia more difficult.
“We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House,” Kemp said on Fox News’ “Hannity” show.
Trump is leading in the polls in Georgia, and Kemp owns one of the country’s most formidable state political machines, which propelled him to a landslide win in 2022 over Democrat favorite Stacey Abrams in the Georgia governor race.
“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 said minutes later on Truth Social. “I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The embrace ended a rift that looked intractable as recently as just a few weeks ago when Trump launched a political attack on Kemp and his wife during a stop in Georgia, raising GOP fears the two would not work together to secure a win in the Peach State.
But cooler heads prevailed as Trump signaled soon after he wanted to repair the relationship and Kemp made clear he would vote for Trump and that voters couldn’t afford a Kamala Harris presidency.
Campaign sources said several figures played a key role in nudging the two political heavyweights toward mending fences, including Sean Hannity, South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham and Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus, the dean of conservative donors and a longtime supporter of both men.
