ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp pledged his support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday, despite Trump attacking him twice within the week.
Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was there as Kemp made the announcement at a conservative gathering taking place across the street from the Grand Hyatt where GOP politicians had convened.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, also present, emphatically stated he would not support Trump’s campaign.
“Between me and my former running mate, I cannot endorse President Trump’s continuing assertion that I should have set aside my oath to support and defend the constitution and acted in a way that would have overturned the election,” Pence told conservative WSB Radio talk show host Erick Erickson.
During the event, Pence expressed his admiration for Kemp.
“How great is Gov. Brian Kemp?” Pence said.
Trump criticized Kemp at a rally in Atlanta for not calling a special legislative session to overturn the 2020 election results.
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“Kemp’s very bad for the Republican party,” Trump said at the rally.
In response to Trump’s criticisms, Kemp opted for a humorous approach.
“I was kidding with a smaller crowd the other day, and I said, you know, we had this storm come through the state this weekend, and now we’re dealing with Tropical Storm Debby,” Kemp said.
Despite the recent tensions, Kemp committed his grassroots political organization to aid Trump’s campaign in Georgia.
“That I was going to support the nominee, that we were going to use our political operation to win Georgia despite past grievances in political opinion,” Kemp said.
The Democratic Party of Georgia was quick to criticize Kemp’s decision.
“Kemp responded to Trump’s bullying by kissing the ring and putting his full political apparatus at Trump’s disposal,” they said in a statement.
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