Trump Targets Ossoff at Georgia Rally as Republicans Seek Midterm Momentum/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump rallied Friday in Dalton with Republican Senate nominee Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson. He urged Georgians to vote as though he were on the ballot while attacking Democrats, defending the Iran war and promoting his border policies. Democratic opponents Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms welcomed the visit as an opportunity to connect their rivals to Trump’s record.
Quick Look
- Battleground visit: Trump campaigned in Georgia, where Republicans need support beyond his core base.
- Joint appearance: Collins and Jackson appeared at the same venue for the first time this fall.
- Speech interrupted: Protesters challenged the administration’s immigration policies.
- Democratic response: Ossoff and Bottoms argued Trump’s visit would reinforce their affordability message.
- Supporters defend Trump: Rallygoers blamed oil companies and political opposition for economic difficulties.
- Kemp absent: The governor’s adviser cited a family obligation.
Deep Look
Trump Urges Georgia Voters to Treat Midterms as His Election
DALTON, Ga. — President Donald Trump brought his midterm campaign tour to Georgia Friday, appearing with leading Republican candidates in a battleground state where the results could shape the remainder of his second term.
At the Dalton rally, Trump praised Senate nominee Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson while urging supporters to view the election as a personal referendum on his presidency.
“You have to pretend I’m on the ballot,” Trump said as at least one audience member shouted “Trump 2028.”
Later, he predicted, “On election night, Georgia is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate us.”
Georgia presents a different challenge from reliably Republican states Trump has recently visited, including Alabama, Montana and Tennessee.
Collins, a two-term congressman, faces Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Jackson, a billionaire businessman, is running against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Both Republicans will likely need voters beyond Trump’s strongest supporters to win.
President Attacks Ossoff and Defends Administration Policies
Trump devoted much of his speech to criticizing prominent Democrats, defending the Iran war and promoting his U.S.-Mexico border policies rather than discussing Georgia’s Republican candidates.
When demonstrators interrupted to protest his immigration policies, Trump suggested that Ossoff had paid them to disrupt the event.
He called the senator a “left-wing loser” and repeatedly referred to him as “Pee-wee Herman.”
Trump also mocked Ossoff for wearing makeup during public appearances. He acknowledged wearing makeup himself but described his own application as “light” by comparison.
Jackson Makes Brief Appearance Alongside Trump
When Trump invited Jackson onto the stage, the gubernatorial nominee spoke briefly, thanking the president for his work for “all foster children” and “for caring about our vulnerable children.”
The appearance differed from an earlier campaign event at which Jackson pointed to Trump and promised to become “this guy’s favorite governor.”
Friday marked the first time Jackson and Collins had appeared at the same venue this fall.
Their shared appearance contrasted with the multiple joint rallies held by Ossoff and Bottoms.
Democrats Welcome Opportunity to Tie Rivals to Trump
Ossoff said he was “surprised Georgia Republicans want the president here.”
He argued that the visit would remind Georgians of policies backed by Trump and Republicans that have “driven the cost of groceries, fuel and healthcare to their all-time highs.”
Bottoms similarly encouraged voters to associate the Republican ticket with the president.
“When Donald Trump says he wants people to imagine that he is on the ballot, I am asking the people of Georgia to do just that,” she said.
She pointed to Jackson’s pledge to become Trump’s “favorite governor.”
Recent Election Results Highlight Republican Challenges
Even the conservative northwest Georgia district hosting Trump has shown signs of a less favorable environment for Republicans.
Trump carried the district by approximately 37 percentage points in 2024.
But Republican Clay Fuller won April’s special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene by 12 points, a considerably narrower margin.
Rally Supporters Defend Trump’s Economic Performance
People attending Friday’s rally said they viewed Trump’s economic record more positively than his low national approval ratings suggested.
“I think it’s a heck of a lot better than it was under Joe Biden. That’s for sure. Or any other Democrat president for that matter,” said Dianne Leveridge.
Leveridge said she had voted for Trump three times and would do so again if she could.
Although she acknowledged high gasoline prices, she said “the oil companies aren’t playing fair.”
Cindy Massengill, 67, said Trump was “doing as good as he can do with the fight he has to fight” against “the people in office that are fighting him.”
Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress.
Trump Repeats False Claims About Georgia’s 2020 Election
Trump last visited Dalton on Jan. 4, 2021, the day before Ossoff and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won simultaneous Senate runoffs.
At that time, Trump had lost the presidential election to Joe Biden but continued rejecting the result.
“There is no way we lost Georgia. There’s no way,” Trump said during that visit. “That was a rigged election but we’re still fighting it.”
On Friday, he again falsely suggested that he had won Georgia in 2020, claiming “it was a rigged election.”
Collins Declines to Withdraw Election Claims
Collins, first elected to Congress in 2022has echoed Trump’s false statements about the 2020 election.
When Ossoff challenged him during a debate this week, Collins did not retract those views.
“There was a lot of doubt in that election. Yes, Joe Biden was the president,” Collins said, without acknowledging that Biden was duly elected.
Trump endorsed Collins days before his June runoff victory over former football coach Derek Dooley. In announcing his support, Trump criticized Dooley for accepting that Biden had won legitimately.
Gov. Brian Kemp did not endorse Collins until September. During the primary, Kemp had warned that Collins could not win the general election.
Jackson Shifts Emphasis as Kemp Misses Rally
Trump backed Jackson only after he defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican gubernatorial runoff.
Jones had been Trump’s original choice and participated in efforts to overturn Biden’s victory. Trump cited Jones’ loyalty when endorsing him.
During the primary, Jackson regularly invoked Trump. More recently, he has been less likely to mention the president and more likely to compare himself with Kemp.
Kemp did not attend Friday’s rally.
“He has a family obligation that day,” his top political adviser, Cody Hall, said.
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