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“People will remember the people who don’t support us,” Trump said of Wednesday’s joint session of Congress, when lawmakers vote to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college votes.
Speaking at a rally here, Trump berated members of his party who refused to support his attempt to overturn Biden’s victory in November, and continued to promote lies that the election was stolen from him – spending relatively little time talking to outgoing senators whose second round elections will take place on Tuesday.
He vowed to campaign against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2022 because they certified Biden’s victory in the state, and he praised Republicans who plan to challenge the results. from the Electoral College to Congress this week.
And while praising Loeffler and Perdue, Trump spent most of his time angrily claiming the Nov. 3 election was fraudulent – and firing a warning shot at Republican lawmakers ahead of certification. Wednesday’s vote on Capitol Hill.
“We’ve had a lot of things corrupted,” the president said. “One thing I learned about Republicans is that they have a hard time. But do you know a difficulty they don’t have? They never forget. They never forget. And people will find out. “
The crowd who attended the rally, which took place on the municipal airport tarmac here, were most excited when Trump discussed his electoral challenges and considered supporting a main challenger against the governor. At one point, a group of supporters chanted, “F — you, Kemp!”
Many of Trump’s teleprompter lines were about Loeffler and Perdue, two of his biggest supporters in Congress. But when he went to chance, it was mainly his attempt to thwart the election result.
“I don’t do gatherings for other people,” the president said later. “I do them for myself.”
It was his second campaign rally since Biden was declared the election winner.
“This could be the most important vote you will ever cast for the rest of your life,” Trump said. “It really could be. It is so important. ”
He has repeatedly attacked Kemp and Raffensperger – fellow Republicans Trump campaigned for in 2018 and whom he frequently upset for pushing back his efforts to run for office. The rally came just days after Trump called Raffensperger to push him to “find” additional votes that could tip the state in his favor. The phone call, a recording of which was leaked on Sunday, shocked officials in Washington and Atlanta, even leading to talk of criminal investigations.
Trump said Kemp and Raffensperger were “terrified” of Stacey Abrams, the former Georgian Democratic lawmaker who ran for governor against Kemp in 2018. His promise to return to the state to campaign against them has solidified the 180-degree turn of its support just two years ago. He also highlighted his feeling of betrayal by those who he said would remain loyal to him during his election challenge.
Trump also expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court for refusing to hear a lengthy trial to challenge election results in a number of key states – especially since his numerous Federal Court appointments, including three Supreme Court justices, were a major topic of discussion throughout his re-election campaign.
Introducing Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to the rally stop on Monday, Trump said he was “a little angry” with the senator, who acknowledged Biden’s election victory last month.
“I just want Mike Lee to listen to what we’re talking about, because you know what, we need his vote,” Trump said.
Trump even warned Vice President Mike Pence that he had better “come across as us” when he presides over the congressional tally of Electoral College votes on Wednesday.
“Of course, if he doesn’t pass, I won’t like him so much,” said Trump, who then tried to soften the remark as a joke.
Trump’s rally was in contrast to a Biden campaign event in the state earlier on Monday, in which the Democratic president-elect highlighted the political priorities at stake in the second round. There, Biden linked the victories of Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to promoting Covid relief legislation, including $ 2,000 stimulus checks.
But in his praise for Loeffler and Perdue, Trump focused instead on their loyalty. He also praised other Republicans loyal to his cause, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas, who also said they would challenge the electoral college’s results in Congress.
During Loeffler’s brief appearance on the rally scene, she stressed that her loyalty to the president was not in question. She announced during the rally that she would join some of her Republican peers in challenging the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, to loud cheers from the public.
“This president fought for us. We are fighting for him. He put America first, ”Loeffler said. “Georgia, we are the firewall of socialism.”
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