The Significance of Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Making Up, with Charles Cooke and Rich Lowry

we've got a lot to get to over on team Trump's side because he was not quiet while this was going on he spent a lot of time at the border and I think probably two huge significant things happened in terms of trump getting endorsements or Building Bridges mending fences you know pick your um your your favorite but I think one of the big ones was last night and Brian Kemp Brian Kemp was very very popular governor of Georgia hasn't been going well between those to because Kemp wouldn't do what Trump wanted him to with the nonsense around the election Trump decided he was a devil and attacked him only recently again like let bygones be bygones for the love of God for the sake of the country he needs to win Georgia and Georgia loves camp and Trump took a shot at Kemp and his wife blah blah blah Kemp goes on Fox News I was watching this it was pretty remarkable and uh starts saying nice things is about Trump listen here it's s 24 look we got a win you know we got a win from the top of the ticket on down uh I've been saying consistently for a long time we cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden and KLA Harris and I think you know KLA Harris and Tim W would be even worse uh so we need to send Donald Trump back to the White House we need to retake the Senate we need to hold the house we need to hold our legislative majorities that we have in the great state of Georgia so Trump actually appeared with um Brett and Martha shortly thereafter and said in Return some nice things about camp and then I think later put out a um no he said us and then and then he put out a truth social that reads as follows thank you to Brian Kemp for all of your help and support in Georgia where a win is so important to the success of our party and most importantly our country I look forward to working with you your team and all of my friends in Georgia to help make America great again I mean this is classic Donald Trump is it not rich classic Trump all he needs is for you to extend a little Olive Branch to him and you're good yeah very transactional also everyone around Trump was telling that this was idiotic and he should he should bury this so he did the right thing he never should have revived it and Brian Kemp by the way is one of the most impressive uh Republican office holders going you know I I'm from uh I'm not from the south so when I first met him around a conference table for about 10 minutes I was like what's this this draw you know this guy's not very impressive then within about 10 minutes like whoa this guy is really on the ball he's the one Republican who crossed Trump on something that Kemp felt was very important you know his his duty as governor and had Kemp Target him I'm sorry Trump Target him go after him H hammer in tongs and Survive and Thrive and that's an extraordinary uh political achievement and then you know he's he's he's a party guy he thinks Trump will be better than Harris obviously so he was just willing to to to move on and and try to win Georgia and then Trump at this rally there's some theories that that there's a anti- Kemp Republican who spent time uh with Trump prior to that rally and kind of Spun him up but to spend 10 minutes attacking Brian Kemp and his wife obviously destructive made no sense and it's good that this breach has been healed at least for now Charles it's a i it's I'm overusing the word but it's kind of a heroic moment for Brian Kemp because I'm sure he's not a huge Trump fan he just attacked Trump just attacked Brian Kemp's wife like two weeks ago but he I think is accurately deduced that Trump must have Georgia he must win Georgia and so in an extraordinary act of selflessness he was the first to come out and say something nice and he knew exactly the effect that would have on Trump who does start these fights but is also quick to finish them under circum ances like these well I don't think it's extraordinary in the sense that I think what you're seeing there is the difference between a disciplined politician who wants to win and Donald Trump you know Donald Trump has a lot of talent but he's Mercurial and capricious and despite all of the eschatological rhetoric around this election he doesn't seem to believe that the election of Harris would end the country because if he did he would be more focused he'd be more in other words like Brian Kemp and not just Brian Kemp but the vast majority of Republican office holders at the state level who stay on track uh I live in Florida DeSantis stays on track and he wins and he gets things done this is true of Brian Kemp just up the road in Georgia it's true uh in Iowa it's true in Ohio it's true in Texas it's true in Alabama you know the idea uh that Trump is some sort of exceptional politician without whom the Republicans would be lost is false uh at least at the state level uh Governors within the Republican Party have done an enormous amount and got an enormous amount of wins over the last two or three years on school choice on constitutional carry on tax cutting on abortion because excuse me because they don't get drawn in to stupid feuds um so I I don't think it's extraordinary from Brian Kemp I think it's absolutely ordinary I think what is extraordinary is that there was a a breach to Hill in the first place that Trump allowed himself to be spun up by this anti-m politician when anyone else in the firmament um I'm forgetting Glenn yunin up in Virginia whose approval rating is about 60% anyone else in the firmament would have looked at that person before the rally and said are you insane I'm about to speak in this state that I need to win where the governor you want me to talk about uh has a 65% approval rating and a whole bunch of wins under his about why on Earth would I start a fight with him yeah I my own theory on it is that Trump it's not that Trump is undisciplined exactly I I take your point but I I think it's that he just believes in his own gut instinct Above All Else and if it's gut instinct is telling him to lash out at Brian Kemp he hates Brian Kemp he thinks that's the right thing to do because his gut instinct got him a billion dollars and got him elected president and everybody all along the way has said no no no no no you're wrong he's been right more than he's been wrong and so that's how he operates through life we've talked about this before but he was raised going to the church of Norman Vincent Peele who wrote the the power of positive thinking and uh it's it's a fascinating read if you haven't read in a while you can go back and read it but it is very much it's actually a lot more biblical and um religious than I think Trump actually is but the messaging is very positive I think that's just how Trump thinks I I know best I'm going to do the right thing I trust my gut that's that's clearly part of it but also the idea that that he really won the 2020 election it was stolen from him is pretty core to his political identity right if if he didn't believe that he didn't convince a lot of Republicans of that he wouldn't been he wouldn't have been the nominee so for him Kemp and and his wife having crossed them on that is is a pretty major transgression transgression that's hard to forgive now I don't think that speaks well of trump I'm totally on chemp side in this dispute but I think that's also behind it and and the reason why Kemp's wife is particularly not enamored of trump this pressure campaign if you hear about it in in detail from them it was extraordinary they it was very personal they took it very personally after the 2020 election for for good reason so so there's a lot of ill feeling there it's better for everyone that it's it's papered over but there's a reason we had this eruption that is back to my point Charles which does make him extraordinary Governor Kemp be able to put that to the side and do what's best for the country so Bravo it's a good moment for the Republican party and they needed one some Americans enjoy using their 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