ZEBULON — Former President Donald Trump told attendees at a Zebulon town hall that they had a “fantastic lieutenant governor” in Burt Jones.
“This gentleman, I’ll tell you what, he’s been something very special,” Trump said. “He’s been my friend for a long time, Burt. ... I didn’t realize, he was a top football player. But I was impressed before that. I was impressed with Burt before that.”
Trump and Jones appeared at a “Believers and Ballots Faith Town Hall” at Christ Chapel Zebulon on Wednesday, drawing thousands to the church with thousands more gathered outside in the 80-plus degree heat.
Jones said he wanted to “brag on” Trump, as well, and recalled a conversation he had with the Republican presidential nominee in the days after Hurricane Helene. Jones said he asked Trump whether he wanted to help him and country singer Jason Aldean do something for victims of the storm.
“Without hesitation he said, ‘Yes, absolutely,’” Jones said. “He said something to someone in the background and said, ‘Hey, let’s put together something for Burt Jones and Jason Aldean. Let’s team up with them.’
“And I want to tell you something, they started a GoFundMe page on Tuesday. By Saturday that same week, because of him, we had raised $7 million.”
Jones is expected to run for governor as a MAGA favorite in 2026. Trump endorsed Jones’ run for lieutenant governor two years ago, but it’s unclear if and whom he would endorse in the governor’s race.
It’s been said that the race for governor in Georgia begins the day after a presidential election — even though the election days are two years apart.
“I can tell you right now, the day after the presidential race is still early,” Jones said in an interview. “Hopefully I’ll be toasting to Donald Trump winning back the White House. ... We’ve just been focused on finishing out this thing. And then I’m going to be focused on (the legislative) session.”
Jones isn’t the only politician in Trump’s circle said to be vying for the state’s top job. Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has been Trump’s top Georgia donor this cycle, and other MAGA loyalists will likely add their names to the mix as well.
Ben Henning, a Griffin resident who attended the town hall, said he’s more familiar with Jones from before the lieutenant governor ran for office for his work with the family’s Jones Petroleum and as a University of Georgia football player.
Henning said, as “a Trump guy,” an endorsement from the former president would carry weight with him, but it wouldn’t be the only factor in his decision.
“He’s endorsed people in the past that I wouldn’t vote for,” Henning said.
It’s also possible the former president doesn’t endorse at all. He did as much in 2020 as Loeffler and then-U.S. Rep. Doug Collins battled it out for the U.S. Senate seat ultimately won by Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Another possibility is that Trump will endorse early, as he did with Herschel Walker as Warnock defended his seat in 2022. Trump encouraged Walker to run for the office, saying Walker would have the former president’s endorsement if he chose to enter the race.
The Zebulon event took place the day after three other rumored gubernatorial candidates appeared at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia on the Road” stop in Buckhead.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond each fielded questions Tuesday from the hosts of the “Politically Georgia” podcast — and all have had their names floated as potential candidates for governor.
McBath, a Democrat from Marietta, was the only person directly asked whether she was planning a run. McBath, who is seeking her third term in Congress, sidestepped the question.
“Every time someone said something to me of that nature — that ‘we would love to support you for governor’ — I’m really humbled,” McBath said. “I’m very humbled that people believe that I have the ability to govern and to govern wisely and with common sense and with their best interests at heart.”
While it’s unclear who or if Trump will ultimately endorse in a Republican primary for governor, Jones got a lot of face time with the former president. After moderating the Zebulon town hall, Jones hopped onto a plane with Trump to head to Duluth for the former president’s second stop of the day.
