A Donald Trump rally is always quite the raucous show, and Saturday night’s event at the Georgia National Fairground in Perry didn’t disappoint the tens of thousands of Trumpers from all over the state who flooded the area. As most political pundits and pollsters would have to agree, the former president is still beloved by a huge majority of the Peach State’s Republican voter base.
State party chairman David Shafer, a Trump loyalist, perhaps was at his most impassioned when he declared: “Eight months of Joe Biden, America is in full retreat. “The only thing progressive in Joe Biden’s administration is his dementia.”
Trump at his rally in Perry, GA (photo credit: Roanoke.com)
Shafer also tweeted a stark in-your-face photograph underscoring President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan evacuation catastrophe. He said, “The first row of seats in the VIP section were kept empty in memory of the 13 American soldiers who gave their lives during the withdrawal from Kabul.” The former president was also joined onstage by a young U.S. Marine who rescued an Afghan baby from death.
“To have a country again, you have to vote for only America First Republicans,” the former president reminded his audience. “The world is eating our lunch and laughing at us, but when I was president the world respected us.”
He appeared with three GOP candidates he has endorsed for the 2022 Georgia elections: UGA football legend Herschel Walker, who is running for the U.S. Senate; State Sen. Burt Jones, who’s running for lieutenant governor; and U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Greensboro, who’s running for secretary of state.
Aside from hitting Biden hard on Afghanistan and the leaving behind of Americans and handing over billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment to terrorists, he attacked the national security and humanitarian crisis on the southern border. “Joe Biden has thrown the border wide open and our country is being invaded by hundreds of thousands of people each month,” Trump said. “This is an invasion!”
Tim Darnell, writing for the Capitol Beat News Service, wrote this report about Senate candidate Walker’s rally remarks:
“What qualifies me to run for this office?” Walker said. “What qualifies a reverend to run for office? What qualifies a farmer to run for office? I’m an American, and that’s what qualifies me to run for this office.” Walker is running for the GOP nomination to face (incumbent Raphael) Warnock next fall.
“The people we elect to office shouldn’t be asked, do you love America? If you don’t love America, you shouldn’t be running for office. We have to be accountable for ourselves.”
Walker recounted his upbringing in Wrightsville, and a conversation with his mother when her manufacturing job was lost with her plant’s closure.
“Let’s worry about the United States,” Walker said. “Let’s put people back to work. We can be compassionate, but we have to take care of our people at home first.”
To no one’s surprise, Trump repeated his view that last November’s presidential election was marred with fraud and irregularities in Georgia and elsewhere. Also not surprising were his swipes against Secretary of State Raffensperger, who Hice seeks to replace. “It’s time to give Brad the boot, and send him home,” said Hice. “He has destroyed election integrity in this state.”
And not to be forgotten is Georgia’s flamboyant U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome. She drew cheers while appearing before the main event by holding an “Impeach Biden” sign.
