Trump allies urge him to 'reconcile' with key swing state governor

Over the weekend Donald Trump reignited a feud with the leader of a crucial 2024 swing state that did not end well for Republicans last time. Ahead of an Atlanta rally, Trump reopened old wounds by calling the crime rate in Georgia 'terrible' and the economy 'average,' and saying he doesn't want Gov. Brian Kemp or his wife's endorsement. In a bitter retort Kemp shot back saying 'leave my family out of it.' Trump has long held resentment toward Kemp, the leading Republican in the state, for not more aggressively pursuing unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Now, Republican allies of Trump are hoping the two men can 'reconcile' with less than 100 days to the general election. Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins likened the feud to 'Thanksgiving dinner or a family reunion' in a statement to DailyMail.com. 'Just like Thanksgiving or family reunions in the South, sometimes family members don't always get along, but we still look forward to seeing them at next year's function and we don't love them any less,' he told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'The priority for all Georgia Republicans must absolutely be getting Trump across the finish line in November. Hopefully, at some point, we can get the personalities to reconcile, but in the meantime, Americans are suffering and dying from bad policies, not mean tweets.' 'Brian Kemp should focus his efforts on fighting Crime , not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average,' Trump wrote ahead of thousands gathering for his speech on Saturday. Trump then went after Kemp's wife and Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp.

'He and his wife didn't think he could win. I said, 'I'm telling you you're going to win.' Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, 'Thank you Sir, we'll never be able to make it up to you!' Now she says she won't Endorse me, and is going to 'write in Brian Kemp's name.' Well, I don't want her Endorsement, and I don't want his,' Trump wrote. 'My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats - not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,' Kemp fired back on X. 'You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,' he continued.

Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's former senator who lost a reelection race in 2021 in what some onlookers blamed on Trump's attacks on the elections in the state, downplayed the dispute between the two men. 'Republicans have always embraced a wide range of views - it's why we had a competitive presidential primary, while Democrats invalidated 14 million votes and anointed Kamala Harris,' she told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'The bottom line is that President Trump and Governor Kemp are working tirelessly to restore America and stop Kamala's broken agenda from causing even more pain. That is my focus, it's their focus, and it's shared by everyone who has been crushed by high prices, crime, the open border, and the many other radical policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.'

Loeffler lost her runoff race in 2021, at the height of Trump's attacks on Georgia's election systems that some strategists believe dampened Republican voter turnout. Others were more outspoken in their criticism of reigniting old tensions. 'The Trump rally in Atlanta makes it more likely Kamala Harris wins. He's his own worst enemy,' said Georgia-based conservative radio host Erick Erickson. Trump and Kemp have had a sticky relationship for years, but Trump's hostility toward the GOP governor escalated after Trump lost Georgia in 2020.

The ex-president reportedly pressured the GOP governor to step in and find the votes to overturn the election results after President Biden won Georgia less than 12,000 votes. He has also expressed anger that Kemp has not helped him when it comes to the Fulton County case against him over election interference in Georgia. Trump wrote on Saturday that Kemp is a 'bad guy' as he faces another tight race in Georgia in November with Vice President Kamala Harris now at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Kemp enjoys widespread support in the Georgia GOP. He fended off a Trump-backed effort to oust him from the governor's mansion in 2022 and outperformed Trump's hand-picked Senate candidate, Herschel Walker. Trump again went after Kemp at his rally on Saturday. 'Your Governor, Kemp, and [Secretary of State Brad] Raffensperger, they're doing everything possible to make 2024 difficult for Republicans to win,' he said. 'What are they doing? I don't know. They've got something in mind, you know, they've got a little something in mind. Kemp is very bad for the Republican Party.'

'Georgia's elections are secure,' Raffensperger wrote in a post Saturday. 'The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn't sell well here in Georgia, sir.' Kemp encouraged Trump to focus on the future instead of the past. 'My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,' Kemp said. 'You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.'

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