Trump makes Georgia visit to woo college, suburban voters
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Former President Trump speaks to a crowd at McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Former President Trump stopped by Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Monday night to rally supporters as part of a last-mile blitz to mine remaining votes before polls close on Nov. 5.
The big picture: More than 3 million Georgia voters have cast early ballots in the 2024 election, and both candidates are on a non-stop tour of swing states in an effort to reach every voter.
- The event at McCamish Pavilion came one day after Trump's Madison Square Garden rally where speakers spouted racist and sexist rhetoric.
- It also followed a Saturday event in Downtown Atlanta featuring Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance.
Zoom in: Trump spent 80 minutes discussing transgender women playing sports, Nancy Pelosi's stock ownership, his relationship with teleprompters, campaign endurance, along with a tangent about how Michelle Obama was "nasty" to him.
- Trump invoked the name of Laken Riley, a nursing student in Athens who was killed by a man authorities say was an undocumented immigrant, and screened campaign videos about Venezuelan gangs and transgender people serving in the military.
The vibes: Nearly everyone in attendance has already voted, according to a show of hands requested by Trump. "We're leading by a lot but we can't take any chances," he said.
Georgia Republicans in attendance were limited to Trump's more outspoken supporters. Not there was Gov. Brian Kemp, an on-again, off-again, now back on ally.
- Among them: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and Brian Jack, the GOP nominee for Georgia's 3rd Congressional District and a former Trump senior official, who urged voters to bring friends to the polls.
- "Georgia is not a swing state," former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins said. "It is a Trump state."
Soundtrack: Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," DJ Khaled's "All I Do is Win," Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky."
The intrigue: In the final stretch, Trump has focused his Georgia visits in Democratic-leaning suburbs like Cobb and Gwinnett counties.
- Some campaign supporters argue time and resources could be better spent reaching needed voters in deep-red counties in east and north Georgia, the AJC reports.
Flashback: Earlier Monday, before the Atlanta rally, Trump addressed hundreds of pastors at the National Faith Advisory Board summit in Powder Springs in Cobb.
- There, when asked to describe his faith by spiritual advisor and televangelist Paula White-Cain, the event's host, Trump "dove into a critique of Democrats saying the country 'seems to be heading in the wrong direction now' with less focus on religion," the AJC reports.
What's next: The candidates will likely return to Georgia at least once, although neither Harris nor Trump have announced additional visits.
- Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz visits on Thursday to hold a reproductive rights rally in Cobb and to energize voters in Macon, Valdosta and Albany.
- Former first lady Michelle Obama will hold a Tuesday rally in the city.