The ruling ensures that reproductive rights will remain front and center in the critical battleground state and embolden President Joe Biden and other Democrats who say the issue will energize their supporters.

“It’ll be straightened out. And as you know, it’s all about states’ rights,” Trump told reporters. “It’ll be straightened out, and I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason and that’ll be taken care of very quickly.”

The presumptive GOP nominee is trying to navigate tricky political territory by refusing to take a stance on a national ban while saying abortion rights should be left to the states.

That has led to fierce criticism from advocates on both sides of the issues, as conservatives want firmer national limits on the procedure while abortion rights supporters blame Trump and his agenda for the new restrictions.

Biden’s campaign said Trump is to blame for limits on reproductive rights, noting that he has long trumpeted that the three U.S. Supreme Court justices he nominated provided the pivotal votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed a right to abortion.

“Trump lies constantly — about everything — but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets,” Biden spokesman Michael Tyler said. “The guy who wants to be a dictator on day one will use every tool at his disposal to ban abortion nationwide, with or without Congress.”

Pressed during a stop at an Atlanta Chick-fil-A, Trump again tried to sidestep questions asking for specificity on his abortion stance, including when asked whether physicians should face punishment for performing the procedure.

“Let that be to the states. Everything we’re doing now is states and states’ rights. And what we wanted to do is get it back to the states,” he said. “Because for 53 years, it’s been a fight. And now the states are handling it.”

‘Get along’

Trump’s campaign organized the pricey fundraiser at a Buckhead hotel as he races to catch up to the financial juggernaut that Biden built.

Five attendees said that during the closed-door event he renewed promises to enforce tougher immigration restrictions at the U.S. border and repeated his support for Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

He invoked his criticism of Biden’s handling of conflict before the event, too, saying the president had “totally abandoned Israel” after warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that military aid and other U.S. backing for the country hinges on new steps to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.

“Biden has totally lost control of the Israel situation,” Trump told reporters on the airport tarmac. “Any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined.”

The fundraiser is expected to take in at least $5 million and featured some of the South’s wealthiest GOP donors, along with a who’s who of the pro-Trump hierarchy in Georgia. They included former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

It was organized with the help of Bill White, the Trump ally who led the failed attempt to split Atlanta into two municipalities. White said the sold-out gala speaks volumes about Trump’s “supporters who wanted to show their love for our favorite president of all time.”

Just as notable was who didn’t attend: A number of prominent GOP figures who have only reluctantly supported the former president or pointedly stayed neutral in the race.

That list is headlined by Gov. Brian Kemp, who has steered clear of Trump since the then-president blamed him for his 2020 defeat.

Kemp has repeatedly said he’ll vote for Trump now that he’s sealed up the nomination, though the governor has offered only guarded support after the former president recruited Perdue to challenge him in an ill-fated 2022 primary.

Trump told WSB’s “The Shelley Wynter Show” this week that he hopes the two will “be able to get along” and help Republicans recapture Georgia after Biden narrowly flipped the state in 2020.

“I think it’s important that we do because I think it’s important for both of us,” Trump said. “I think it’s very important that Republicans win this upcoming election.”

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

The internal GOP rift is no small matter in Georgia, where swing voters helped elect Biden in 2020 and powered victories by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in U.S. Senate races in 2021 and 2022.

Polls show Biden and Trump in a tight race in Georgia, and Republicans say they can’t just rely on the Democrat’s low approval ratings to recapture the state in November.

Democrats, meanwhile, are taking strides to build up the campaign’s political infrastructure, recently announcing a slate of offices and a contingent of new staffers in Georgia devoted to drive up turnout for Biden.

While Trump is far outpacing Biden’s fundraising in Georgia, the Republican faces a daunting overall financial deficit.

The former president and the GOP said last week that they raised more than $65.6 million in March, ending the month with $93.1 million. Biden and Democrats took in more than $90 million in March and had $192 million in the bank.

Tickets to Wednesday’s gathering didn’t come cheap. Attendees paid $6,600 to get in the door, while a photo op with Trump ran donors $25,000 a couple. It set contributors back $250,000 to serve on the host committee, which offered more access to the former president.

Trump dismissed concerns about his campaign coffers minutes after he landed in Atlanta as he berated Biden.

“We don’t need the same kind of money that they need,” he said. “They need more money because they take care of poor politicians. They hand it out like it’s gravy.”