atlanta — He weighs Military action against IranAggressive driving Immigration campaignteasing a Federal takeover From state elections.
But on Thursday, President Donald Trump’s team insisted he will focus on the economy when he visits battleground Georgia on a trip aimed at helping boost Republicans’ political standing ahead of high-stakes midterm elections.
“Georgia is clearly a very important state for the president and for the Republican Party,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said on the eve of his visit. She said Trump’s remarks in Georgia would highlight his “efforts to make life more accessible to the working class.”
Trump’s destination in Georgia suggests he has something else on his mind, too. He is heading to a congressional district previously represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former supporter who resigned in January after falling out with Trump. There is a special election to replace her on March 10.
The White House has long said that Trump will focus more on the economy, and often complains that he does not get enough credit for it. But recent months have been dominated by other issues, including deadly clashes during deportation efforts in Minneapolis.
As a reminder of his divided attention, Trump is scheduled to debut one of his own interesting projects on Thursday. It brings actors together More than twenty countries Which she has Join his peace councilA diplomatic initiative to replace the United Nations.
The Georgia visit comes less than a month after federal agents seized voting records and ballots from Fulton County, home to the state’s largest Democratic concentration.
Trump has long cast Georgia as a key component of his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats and President Joe Biden, a fabrication he repeated Wednesday during a Black History Month White House reception.
“We won by millions of votes, but they cheated,” Trump said.
Audits, state officials, the courts and Trump’s former attorney general have all rejected the idea that there were widespread problems that could have changed the election.
Some Republicans are now pushing for the Georgia State Board of Elections, which has a majority aligned with Trump, to take control of elections in Fulton County, a move enabled by a controversial state law passed in 2021. But it is unclear whether or when the board will act.
At the White House on Wednesday, Leavitt said Trump was “exploring his options” when it comes to a potential executive order he raised on social media over the weekend aimed at tackling voter fraud.
Trump called Democrats “horrible cheaters and deceivers” in the pinned post to the top of his social media account. He also said Republicans should put such claims “at the top of every speech.”
Meanwhile, Levitt insisted that Trump would focus on affordability and the economy.
Trump may be distracted by new attacks from Greene, who has been among the president’s most prominent allies in Congress and now one of his loudest conservative critics.
In a social media post before Trump’s visit, Green noted that the White House and Republican leaders met earlier in the week to put together an effective midterm message. She noted that they were “on the struggle bus” and blamed them for health insurance costs that had ballooned this year.
“Nearly 75,000 families in my former district received double or more health insurance on January 1 of this year because the ACA tax credits expired and Republicans completely failed to fix our health insurance system destroyed by Obamacare,” she said. “And you can call me all the petty names you want. I don’t worship a man. I’m not in a cult.”
Early voting has already begun in the special election to choose Greene’s successor, and leading Republican candidates have fully embraced Trump.
Trump recently endorsed Clay Fuller, the district attorney who prosecutes crimes in four counties. Fuller described Trump’s support for his candidacy as “rocket fuel” in an interview over the weekend and pledged to maintain the America First agenda even if he remained in Congress after Trump was no longer president.
Other candidates include former Republican state Sen. Colton Moore, who made a name for himself with a vocal attack on Trump’s impeachment in Georgia. Moore, a favorite of many far-right activists, said he had been in contact with Trump even after Trump endorsed Fuller, calling the choice “unfortunate.”
“I think he’s the greatest president we’ve ever had,” Moore said.
The top Democrat in the race is Sean Harris, who ran unsuccessfully against Greene in 2024. Democrats are hoping for an upset, but the district has been ranked as the most Republican in Georgia by the Cook Political Report.