Thousands of loyal supporters lined up hours early outside the Georgia State University Convocation Center in downtown Atlanta for a chance to hear from former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance.
It was enough to give Atlantans whiplash.
The Trump rally was staged at the same location where Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned on Tuesday. That rally drew Harris’ largest crowd and included celebrity guests Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo, as well as a slate of Georgia elected officials. The Democratic nominee will return to Georgia Friday for a campaign stop in Savannah.
The frantic campaigning in the state is the result of the dramatic shift that happened after President Joe Biden decided to not seek reelection and endorsed Harris. The resulting excitement among Democratic voters has created a sense that Georgia is in play, after months of polling showing Biden trailing Trump.
Some attendees at Trump’s rally said they worried about the momentum Harris has received in the first couple of weeks of her campaign, but many said they suspect it will not last.
“The Democrat party is all fired up and excited. Two weeks ago Kamala was the worst vice president ever, now they all love her,” said John Cherry, 75, from Buckhead.
Trump’s appearance in Atlanta comes on the heels of a rough week for the former president’s campaign.
Trump sparked new controversy at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention Wednesday, when he told a panel of three Black female reporters and an audience of journalists that he “didn’t know” Harris was Black, despite her Jamaican father, her degree from a historically Black college and her membership in a historically Black sorority.
While Trump’s remarks drew widespread condemnation from the Democratic Party and political commentators, rally goers in Atlanta were undaunted.
“I love Trump and I love what he stands for,” said John Wilkins of Stockbridge. “And I hate everything that the Democrats do.
Wilkins, 65, said Harris is “a lizard that will change colors,” depending on the circumstances.
Wearing a shirt emblazoned with former President Donald Trump raising his first after last month’s failed assassination attempt, 43-year-old Andrea McLean said she doubts Harris, as Trump’s new opponent will impact the election’s outcome.
“I think there’ll be a honeymoon period,” McLean said. “But I think, all in all, people will see her for what she is — if we can keep the internet from erasing all the history and things she’s done.”
Some Trump supporters repeated a popular GOP talking point that Harris took the nomination away from Biden after a millions of Americans voted for him Democratic primaries.
“I don’t think they went about democracy the right way,” said Columbus resident Matthew Taylor, 33. “They stole it from the sitting president, the incumbent.”
Saturday marks Trump’s fourth campaign visit to Georgia since the start of 2023 and his first since the June 27 CNN presidential debate.
Bill Henderson, 51, drove from Athens to attend the rally and was among a group of Trump supporters standing under the Atlanta Olympic Caldron Tower Saturday.
“I just came down to see the crowd and people watch,” he said. Henderson said when Trump was in office, “We didn’t have the cost of living increases we have now.”
The Georgian said he isn’t worried about the Democrats winning this November.
“Kamala appeals to the younger people that don’t really do research,” he said.
Staff Reporters Merrill Hart, Caleb Groves, and Phoebe Quinton contributed to this report.
