Trump and Kemp, separated because of Hélène, will meet for the first time since 2020

Former President Donald Trump will meet with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday to discuss the latest recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, the first time the two Republicans have come face to face in four years. Their appearance together comes amid a tumultuous relationship stemming from the 2020 election that has since stabilized post-Kemp thanks to his support of the former president.

Trump and Kemp also took different positions on the federal government’s response to the storm that killed at least 200 people.

Republicans have disagreed for years, with Trump calling Kemp “nasty” and “disloyal” at a rally in Georgia as recently as August.

Kemp resisted Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the last election, alongside Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, unleashing Trump’s fury at rallies and in social media posts.

The two men will make a joint appearance in Evans, Ga., Friday afternoon to be briefed on the latest disaster relief efforts related to the hurricane. They are scheduled to speak to reporters at 3:45 p.m. ET.

News week contacted the Trump campaign and Governor Kemp’s office for comment Friday morning via email.

Friday’s visit comes after Trump claimed the governor had not received federal aid and was having trouble reaching President Joe Biden on the phone following the storm, while saying Kemp was doing a “very well done”.

President Biden called the comments “irresponsible,” and Kemp himself said Biden called him out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZRvRDQgpU

“He just said, ‘Hey, what do you need?’” the governor told reporters. “And I told him, you know, we have what we need. We’ll work through the federal process. He suggested that if we need other things, just call him directly.”

Friday’s meeting will be the first time Trump and Kemp have met in person since 2020, when their relationship deteriorated.

Before the August rally, Trump said Kemp and Raffensperger needed to do their job: fighting crime and making sure the 2024 election wasn’t stolen.

In his article on Truth Social, Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife for not supporting him for president.

“My goal is to win this November and save our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats, without indulging in petty personal insults, attacking my fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past,” Kemp said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, in response. . urging Trump to “leave my family out of this.”

Later, at the rally in Atlanta on August 3, Trump called the governor “little Brian Kemp,” adding that he was “a disloyal guy” and a “very average governor.”

The feud then eased later in August, with the former president thanking Kemp for his help in Georgia, which is a key battleground state that could be vital if Trump wants to return to the White House.

The turning point appears to have come just after Kemp publicly declared on Fox News his support for Trump’s election bid, and after many Republicans expressed confusion and dismay that the former president would personally attack the popular governor of an important swing state.

At the time, the state elections board was considering new rules that appeared to favor Trump. Kemp raised concerns about the board’s plans and was looking into whether he could remove members.

The new election rules were approved in September and include requirements for manually counting ballots and allowing more poll observers.

The council’s argument is that the new rules will make elections more transparent in a swing state that Trump won in 2016 but narrowly lost in 2020.

Polls showed Trump with a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Georgia, with both campaigns making several stops across the state, hoping to put his 16 Electoral College votes into their column.

Both candidates have already visited Georgia once this week to assess storm damage.