Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is slated to headline a fundraiser for former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Atlanta on Thursday, along with first lady Marty Kemp and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to several sources.
It indicates that Kemp is working to reelect Trump despite their public feud. While Kemp has expressed his dedication to electing the full Republican ticket, he previously acknowledged that he did not vote for Trump in the state’s presidential primary.
Kemp’s expected participation in the fundraiser, first reported by ABC News, comes after Trump publicly praised the Republican governor last week after watching an interview with him on FOX News, following months of criticizing Kemp and his family for Kemp’s refusal to give in to the former president’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
“Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country,” tweeted Trump on Thursday.
Prior to the compliments, Trump spent much of his last Georgia rally chastising Kemp for not doing enough to advance his reelection campaign in the state, even going after Kemp’s wife for previously stating that she would vote in Kemp’s name rather than for Trump.
“He’s a terrible guy, a disloyal guy, and an average governor. Brian is a small child. Little Brian Kemp. Bad guy…At his campaign rally in Atlanta earlier this month, Trump stated that all he had to do was sign something requesting that the Senate investigate election integrity.
“Think about the woman. ‘Sir, we can never compensate you for what you have done. We could never have won. And now, two weeks ago, she stated, ‘I will not endorse him because he has not earned my support.’ I have not gained her endorsement. “I have nothing to do with her,” Trump added.
The event, which took the shape of a cocktail reception, was originally slated to feature Pompeo as the headliner. Still, Kemp and his wife were added as co-headliners after Kemp’s allies invited and encouraged him to attend.
A person familiar with Kemp’s involvement in the event told ABC News that at a recent Republican Governors Association meeting in Aspen, Kemp had a “very supportive tone” of Trump and was “getting support to those key states” as well.
“There is a lot of excitement in Georgia knowing that President Trump and Gov. Kemp have agreed to work together as they have in the past to achieve victories that are important for the future of the country and the future of Georgians,” a source told me.
Former Trump State Department official Ulrich Brechbuhl, former Ambassadors Duke Buchan and Ed McMullen, and former Senator Kelly Loeffler will host and co-host the fundraiser, all of whom have actively raised funds for Trump’s campaign this election season.