Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hits back at Trump, tells him to stop talking about his family

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hit back at Donald Trump after the former president attacked his work in the state and mentioned his wife.

“My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats — not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,” Mr. Kemp, a Republican, posted Saturday afternoon on X.

“You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,” he said.

Mr. Trump returned the favor in a Truth Social post Sunday, saying Mr. Kemp needs to “focus his efforts on fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party!”

“His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average,” Mr. Trump posted. “He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten [Stacey] Abrams.”

Mr. Trump went on to mention Mr. Kemp’s wife, Marty Kemp, saying she won’t endorse him even though she allegedly thanked him profusely after her husband won the governorship.

“Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ’Thank you Sir, we’ll never be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement and I don’t want his,” he posted.

Mr. Kemp beat Ms. Abrams in 2018 by a slim margin after Mr. Trump endorsed him.

Mr. Trump then blamed Mr. Kemp for getting Fulton County District Attorney Fani WIllis and “her boyfriend all ‘jazzed up’ and ready to go.”

“He could have ended that travesty with a phone call, but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy … ” Mr. Trump posted.

He also attacked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the post, saying he “has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen.”

“Georgia’s elections are secure,” Mr. Raffensperger posted Saturday on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”

Ms. Willis’ office is prosecuting Mr. Trump and several others for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The case was sparked by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Mr. Trump made to Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican, asking him to “find 11,780 votes” so he would be the winner of Georgia instead of President Biden. He also called other state leaders, including Mr. Kemp, to plead his case to overturn the results.

Mr. Trump claims that the 2020 election was stolen, even though Republican Georgia lawmakers and leaders have said otherwise. He won the state’s electoral votes in 2016, but lost them to Mr. Biden in 2020.

The case brought by Ms. Willis’ office has had trouble, including her controversial relationship with a special prosecutor. Nathan Wade ultimately resigned from the case.

Mr. Trump continued his criticism of Georgia and its leadership at his rally Saturday in Atlanta.

“In my opinion, they want us to lose,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Kemp and Mr. Raffensperger.

He called Mr. Kemp a “bad guy, he’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor.”