Trump visits North Georgia today but has eyes on Atlanta

“We could take care of Atlanta,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, you oughta get them to call me. We could take care of Atlanta so fast.”

Those comments and more have created a combustible moment for Georgia Republicans, as Trump encourages a state takeover of Fulton County’s elections and GOP contenders wage bruising fights that have become litmus tests over loyalty to the president and the direction of his second-term agenda.

The Jan. 28 FBI raid of Fulton’s election offices reignited tensions that many party leaders tried to move past. The president, who once called his allies on the State Election Board “pit bulls,” has amplified calls for a state takeover of the heavily Democratic county’s election system.

And it unfolds as Georgia Republicans navigate wide-open races for governor, a high-profile congressional vacancy in northwest Georgia left by former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and mounting GOP concerns about the party’s chances of defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Trump’s remarks could reverberate across each of those fights.

The MTG feud

He’s stepping into the political territory long represented by Greene, who abruptly resigned in January after a surprisingly bitter feud with the president. Trump recently endorsed former prosecutor Clay Fuller to replace her, elevating a more conventional Republican who has pledged a less confrontational style.

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

“I’ve got the gear to be a bomb thrower, but I know when I need to do it,” Fuller said in an interview. “And I know when I need to persuade people in a different manner. And that’s defined my career.”

The power of Trump’s endorsement will be put to the test in a messy March 10 special election featuring nearly two dozen contenders, many of whom also portray themselves as MAGA stalwarts. Trump himself even appeared to forget he had taken sides this week as he boasted of his clout.

“We have a lot of people who want to take Marjorie Traitor Greene’s place,” Trump said aboard Air Force One this week, using a favorite insult for the Georgia Republican. “Many, many candidates. I have to choose one. They say whoever I endorse is going to win.”

Greene shot back the slur was a “badge of honor.”

“If you had put America FIRST from the start, instead of your rich donor class and foreign policy,” she posted in a message to Trump on social media, “you wouldn’t have to strategize on how to gaslight Americans.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC

‘Trump’s favorite?’

Georgia has long been at the center of Trump’s fixation with relitigating the results of his 2020 defeat, and the FBI raid has only deepened the political divide.

Some Republicans are openly cheering the raid and the prospect of criminal charges against election officials. Others are urging Trump to move on, warning that a midterm election dominated by concerns over grocery bills, health insurance premiums and other economic concerns is not the time to refocus on 2020.

On the eve of his Georgia visit, Trump again repeated his false claim that he “won by millions of votes but they cheated” during remarks at a Black History Month event.

The record tells a different story. Three separate vote tallies — including a hand recount of every ballot cast — upheld Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia. State and federal officials have repeatedly rejected claims that widespread fraud changed the outcome.

Trump’s posture in the governor’s race will also be under scrutiny. The president endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones last year, siding with one of his earliest and most loyal Georgia backers.

It was a predictable move in a contest featuring Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, two Republicans who broke with Trump after the 2020 election.

But the entry of billionaire Rick Jackson scrambled the field and introduced a deep-pocketed outsider who promises he will be “Trump’s favorite governor.” No one expects the president to abandon Jones. But even a hint that he is open to Jackson could upend the race’s trajectory.

In Georgia’s Senate contest, Trump has resisted choosing a favorite in a Republican field that includes U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley, who is backed by Gov. Brian Kemp. In a divided primary with no consensus favorite, although Collins leads in most polling, a subtle nod from Trump could transform the contest.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said MAGA Republicans will “pay the price for bending the knee to Trump’s harmful agenda over doing what’s right for hardworking Georgians.”

“Trump’s trip to a deep-red Georgia district to desperately attempt to sell his failing economy is a bright, flashing warning sign with a siren on top,” he said.

Hovering over the visit is Trump’s uneasy relationship with Kemp, who will be in Washington for a national meeting of state leaders.

After years of public sparring, the two reached a fragile detente during the 2024 campaign — only for Trump to unleash a 10-minute tirade that forced party leaders to scramble behind the scenes to mend fences.

Kemp has since avoided provoking the president, who has largely left him alone. Trump’s tone in Rome could either reinforce the truce or reopen a rift that has repeatedly reshaped Georgia’s GOP politics.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Staff writer Tia Mitchell contributed to this story.

— This is a developing story. Stay with AJC.com for further updates.