Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and former President Donald Trump will appear together for the first time since 2020 as Trump makes his second stop to the state this week to survey Hurricane Helene’s impact on the state.
On Friday, Trump and Kemp are expected to receive a briefing on Hurricane Helene’s devastation before delivering remarks to the press in Evans, Georgia. More than 200 people have been killed from Hurricane Helene, which unleashed devastation across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
The joint appearance comes after Trump’s visit earlier in the week, when he injected politics into his day and falsely claimed that Kemp was unable to reach President Joe Biden about federal assistance, even though earlier in the day Kemp confirmed he spoke with the president.
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, listens to a question as he visits Chez What Furniture Store which was damaged during Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
While Friday’s remarks are not a campaign event, it is notable that the state’s popular Republican governor will appear with Trump after opting not to join Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during their visits to the state earlier this week.
Kemp headlined a fundraiser in Atlanta for Trump in late August, a sign of how Kemp is working to reelect Trump despite the former president’s previous crusade against him.
The former president had publicly and repeatedly criticized Kemp in recent years and even persuaded former Republican Sen. David Perdue to launch a primary bid against him in 2022, which was unsuccessful, after Kemp refused to give in to Trump’s attempts to overturn the state’s election results in 2020.
In this Nov. 7, 2022, file photo, Republican Governor Brian Kemp speaks at a press conference in Atlanta.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images, FILE
However, in recent weeks, Trump has appeared to end his grievances with the popular Republican governor after watching an appearance Kemp did on Fox News, during which Kemp slammed Biden and Harris and pledged to help turn out the vote with Republicans in his state.
“I also want to thank Gov. Brian Kemp, who is working around the clock to get this problem solved. He’s working hard around the clock,” Trump said on Monday about the governor’s response to Hurricane Helene, while visiting Valdosta, Georgia.
The comments were a sharp change in rhetoric from the last time Trump was campaigning in Georgia, where he repeatedly lashed out at Kemp and his wife.
“He’s a bad guy, he is a disloyal guy, and he’s a very average governor,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Atlanta earlier in August, just days before he began praising the Georgia governor and the governor fundraised for him.
An unidentified man paddles a canoe to rescue residents and their belongings at a flooded apartment complex after Hurricane Helene passed the area on Sept. 27, 2024, in Atlanta.
Ron Harris/AP
Trump’s change in attitude on Kemp highlights the importance of winning the battleground state for the Trump campaign after Harris took over the top of the Democratic ticket earlier this summer and shook up the presidential election.
The race in Georgia remains incredibly close, with Trump polling at 48.4% and Harris at 47.1%, according to 538’s most recent polling average.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, ABC News’ “Good Morning America” is set to provide five days of special coverage titled “Southeast Strong: Help After Helene” (#SoutheastStrongABC), spotlighting communities across the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Helene and the urgent efforts to help them recover.
President Trump and Georgia Governor Kemp are set to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in a joint survey of the affected areas. The powerful storm made landfall in Georgia last week, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to the region.
The collaboration between President Trump and Governor Kemp highlights the importance of working together to address the aftermath of natural disasters. By joining forces, they can better understand the extent of the damage and coordinate efforts to provide assistance to those in need.
The survey will focus on areas that were hit hardest by the storm, including coastal communities and low-lying areas that experienced significant flooding. The goal is to assess the damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, as well as to identify any immediate needs for emergency response and recovery efforts.
In addition to assessing the physical damage caused by Hurricane Helene, President Trump and Governor Kemp will also meet with local officials and residents to hear firsthand accounts of the impact of the storm. This will help them better understand the challenges facing the affected communities and determine how best to support their recovery.
The joint survey is part of a larger effort to provide assistance and resources to those affected by Hurricane Helene. The federal government has already approved disaster declarations for Georgia, allowing for additional funding and support to be provided to the state.
As the recovery process begins, President Trump and Governor Kemp are committed to working together to ensure that those impacted by Hurricane Helene receive the help they need to rebuild and recover. By assessing the damage in a collaborative manner, they can better coordinate efforts to address the immediate needs of the affected communities and help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
