Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, filled the 8,000-seat Georgia State University Convocation Center on Saturday, just four days after his Democratic opponent for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, held a similarly packed rally there.
The two rallies could not have been more different in tone and politics, but there was one thing they had in common: Harris and Trump supporters both frequently cited the economy and high cost of living as top election issues.
Gil Bates, a 53-year-old painter from Perry, Georgia, said he wants to get the economy back to the way it was and bring gas and grocery prices down. “Cost of living is too high, renting houses is too high,” he said.
But, he wasn’t sure what government actions could lower these prices. “I don’t think price-gouging should be allowed,” he said. “I feel like Donald Trump is the man to get the country turned back around.”
L: “It ain’t right,” Gil Bates said, when asked about Wall Street hedge funds buying up houses. (Photo/Claire Becknell) R: “Trump took a bullet for us. The least we can do is go out and vote for him,” said Eric Thomason. (Photo/Libby Hobbs)
Eric Thomason, 29, also said gas prices were lower and inflation wasn’t as high under Trump’s presidency. Now, interest rates for houses have “gone through the roof,” he added, and it’s hard to get mortgage loans.
Taking an economic populist position that is shared by many on the left, Vance has been an outspoken critic of institutional investors driving up prices in the single-family housing market, saying Wall Street hedge funds and the like should be more regulated.
Before Vance and Trump took the stage, Georgia Republicans Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and U.S. Reps Mike Collins from Athens and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Northwestern Georgia’s 14th District warmed up the crowd. Greene received a rock-star standing ovation.
The Atlanta Civic Circle asked Greene how a new Trump administration would address cost of living and housing costs in particular. Green said inflation has hurt everyday Americans, especially seniors and people in their 20s who are struggling to pay their rent.
“They’re also looking at ‘Will I ever afford to buy my first home?’ — That doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time in the near future,” Greene said.
Like Vance, Greene said it is “unfair” that homebuyers must compete with institutional investors. “I think it’s terrible when homebuyers are out shopping, and they end up in a bidding war with some giant company that is going to defeat them every single time,” she said.
But Trump’s Saturday speech focused more so on his tried-and-true rhetorical flourishes, rather than policy.
Instead, Trump and his surrogates blamed an “invasion” of undocumented immigrants for much of the economic anxiety that Americans feel.
In Vance’s 20-minute speech, he addressed economic anxiety and the opioid epidemic, sharing his personal experience of growing up with his grandmother, “Mamaw,” because his mother struggled with addiction during his childhood. He blamed the opioid crisis on an “unsafe border,” and accused Harris of allowing unsafe substances into the country.
Arlena Longley, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant from Cartersville, said the No. 1 election issue for her is “to keep America safe again,” as far as public safety and the military. Both of her sons work in law enforcement and her husband is a disabled veteran, so she cares deeply about increasing funding for the Veterans Administration.
Trump spent most of his hour-and-a-half speech trash-talking Harris, as well as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who refused to help him overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia — making clear the divide in Georgia Republican politics.
However, he did not share many thoughts on policy other than closing the border and “Drill, baby, drill,” to reduce energy costs. As for foreign policy, Trump said he would immediately take steps to end the Ukraine-Russia war, but did not mention Israel’s war on Gaza.
He also praised the Georgia Election Board for the three GOP members who are “positively monitoring” the state’s elections. “Now we have two things we have to do: We have to vote and we have to make sure that we stop them from cheating,” he said.
The State Election Board’s Republican majority has proposed last-minute rule changes to allow county election boards to delay certifying election results, even when there have been no problems and the outcome is clear. Fair Fight and other critics warn that would open the door to spurious election challenges if Trump loses.
One thing seems certain for both Democrats and Republicans: The road to the White House goes through Georgia.
“If we lose Georgia, we lose the whole thing, and our country goes to hell,” Trump declared.
Trump supporters distribute signs before the rally. (Photos/ Libby Hobbs)
Rally goers sang during the national anthem and joined Pastor Jentezen Franklin in prayer before Trump took the stage. Supporters put their hands together in prayer signs throughout the speeches. (Top: Photo/Claire Becknell; L: Photo/Libby Hobbs; R: Photo/Libby Hobbs)
Participants proudly displayed their signs and chanted “USA! USA! USA!” (Top: Photo/Libby Hobbs; L: Photo/Claire Becknell; R: Photo/Claire Becknell)
