WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump kicked off his Saturday night rally in Georgia for Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue by recycling the falsehood that he won the state.
“You know we won Georgia, just so you understand,” Trump told the large crowd gathered for the first post-election rally for the president.
He urged supporters to head to the polls to take “revenge” for his loss in last month’s election.
In fact, President-elect Joe Biden won the state of Georgia by about 12,500 votes out of 5 million cast.
Trump said that he traveled to Georgia to help “ensure” the two Republicans win what are probably the most important Senate runoffs in US history.
First Lady Melania Trump kicked off the rally by telling Georgians that it’s more important than ever “that you exercise your rights as a citizen and vote.”
Trump continued to rehash unsubstantiated allegations of fraud during his Saturday evening rally in Valdosta, Georgia, but also warned voters in would be a mistake not to vote in the Jan. 5 Senate runoff election in Georgia for two seats which will determine which party controls the election.
“Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers.
Trump with his direct call for supporters to head to the polls come as some Republicans have worried that the president’s post-Election Day attempt to cast doubt on the results would lead to many of his supporters sitting out the Georgia runoffs.
Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are trying to defeat Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively, and keep the Senate under Republican control.
President Donald Trump ripped Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, hours after the governor refused a direct entreaty from the president to intervene to overturn Trump’s loss in the state.
As the large crowd chanted “Stop the Steal” — what’s become a rallying cry for Republicans unwilling to accept Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in last month’s presidential election — Trump responded that “Your governor could stop it very easily if he knew what the hell he was doing.”
Hours before the Valdosta rally, Trump asked Kemp in the phone call to order the legislative session to subvert the election results, but the governor refused, according to a senior government official in Georgia with knowledge of the call who was not authorized to discuss the private conversation. A person close to the White House who was briefed on the matter verified that account of the call.
According to a tweet from Kemp, Trump also asked him to order an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in his state, a step Kemp is not empowered to take because he has no authority to interfere in the electoral process on Trump’s behalf.
Trump’s request was first reported by The Washington Post.
Trump’s fixation with his defeat is overshadowing his party’s campaign to save its majority in the Senate. The call took place hours before Trump is to appear at a rally in Georgia, where Republicans hope he will dedicate his energy to imploring their supporters to vote in two runoff elections Jan. 5.
