Kemp on his ABT campaign, ‘Anyone But Trump’

Flexing his political muscles, Governor Brian Kemp urged his fellow GOP members to move on from the ‘sour grapes’ that former President Donald Trump offers as they set their sights for elections in 2024 and beyond.

A litany of scathing comments came from Kemp as he delivered his strongest rebuke of Donald Trump to leaders at the Republican National Committee’s meeting in Nashville. 

Kemp urged them to ignore Trump’s obsession with his 2020 reelection defeat, saying,  “Not a single swing voter in a single swing state will vote for our nominee if they choose to talk about the 2020 election being stolen. 

To voters trying to pay their rent, make their car payment or put their kids through college, 2020 is ancient history.” He went on to say that voters wanted to know the GOP’s vision for the future and “couldn’t care less about anyone’s sour grapes.” 

Kemp also touched on Trump’s criminal inquiries in Atlanta, New York and Washington, calling it a “distraction that could cost us dearly next year if we allow it”.

Kemp and Trump were once considered allies. After Kemp refused Trumps’ demands to assist with reversing Joe Biden’s win in Georgia, Trump targeted Kemp in his 2022 race for re-election as Georgia’s governor. Kemp prevailed despite Trump’s relentless attacks. 

With his re-election in the rear view mirror, Kemp  joins others who are pleading with Republicans to move beyond Trump saying, “Voters wanted to hear about what Republicans were doing to help them fight through 40- year high inflation — not months and months of debate over whether the 2020 election was stolen.”

After this criticism from Kemp, former Vice President Mike Pence, and others, Trump took the stage that evening in Nashville and delivered his address to the same audience, reminding donors of his current standing in the primary and trying to pivot from what happened during his reelection bid. A University of Georgia poll showed former President Donald Trump with a roughly 20-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.