FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden held competing campaign rallies in Georgia Saturday.
Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco was in Rome where supporters filled the Forum River Center arena to hear Trump talk for two hours.
Supporters were pleased to hear him begin his speech by informing them Laken Riley’s parents were backstage with him. They held up posters with her picture on them.
“I’m excited about that,” said Kimberly Cain.
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The nursing student died last month after University of Georgia Police said Venezuelan immigrant, Jose Ibarra, 26, attacked and killed her while she was on a morning jog on campus.
Trump pointed the finger at President Biden’s immigration policies during his speech.
“He shouldn’t have been in our country, and he wouldn’t have been under any Trump policy,” Trump told the crowd. “I promise you I will demand justice for Laken Riley.”
Voters traveled from around the south to attend the rally in Rome. Iraq War Veteran John Cole made the trip from Alabama.
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“You had other folks from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia of course, the Carolinas,” said Cole.
Cole said immigration and inflation will be key for voters like him.
They cheered when Trump said, “We will reinstate MAGAnomics!” and “We will drill, baby, drill!”
Trump spent 10 minutes listing conservative policies he backs before closing his speech like banning critical race theory education in schools and vaccine and mask mandates.
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The former president also touched on another major Georgia headline: his Fulton County Grand Jury Indictment in the election meddling case.
“They were contesting a corrupt election, or at least in their opinion it was a corrupt election,” said Trump.
He told voters they must flood the polls to avoid any confusion on the topic next election.
On Saturday, Trump’s rally went head-to-head with a Biden rally at Pullman Yards in northeast Atlanta.
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