Georgia
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp snaps back at Trump after repeated attacks: 'Leave my family out of it'
Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday again attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both of whom are Republicans, for their refusal to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State.
The governor responded by suggesting Trump should focus on winning in November and refrain from “petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”
Before the rally, Trump criticized Kemp, a popular Republican governor in a must-win swing state for the Republican White House hopeful, and suggested the governor should be “fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party.”
Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife, Marty, for saying she would write in her husband’s name for president in November instead of voting for the former president.
“Brad Raffensperger has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Brian Kemp should focus his efforts on fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average.”
GEORGIA ACTIVIST STEALS THE SHOW AFTER BEING INTRODUCED BY TRUMP AT ATLANTA RALLY: ‘INCREDIBLE’
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Kemp has repeatedly been credited for Georgia’s strong economy during his time as governor and his approval rating in the state has soared, with a 63% approval rating in a June poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The governor narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election after receiving Trump’s endorsement. In 2022, Kemp cruised to a win over Trump-backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the primary before defeating Abrams by seven and a half points in a rematch in the general election.
“He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote. “He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I said, ‘I’m telling you you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you Sir, we’ll never be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement, and I don’t want his.”
“They’re the ones who got Fani Willis and her boyfriend all ‘jazzed up’ and ready to go. He could have ended that travesty with a phone call, but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy,” he continued.
Trump was referring to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is prosecuting Trump’s election interference case in Georgia, and her controversial relationship with Nathan Wade, who was a prosecutor in the case before resigning earlier this year amid scrutiny over the relationship.
Kemp responded to the former president with a post on the social media platform X, saying: “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.”
“You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,” Kemp said.
Raffensperger also replied to Trump’s claims in a post of his own.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp looks on during the celebration honoring the Georgia Bulldogs national championship victory on Jan. 15, 2022, in Athens, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
“Georgia’s elections are secure,” Raffensperger wrote on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.”
Kemp, notably, signed Georgia’s Election Integrity Act into law in 2021 that includes requiring identification to vote, extending the early voting period and ensuring a ballot drop box will be available in every county.
During the rally on Saturday, Trump criticized Kemp in a 10-minute rant over baseless claims the governor was responsible for his loss to Biden and for not stopping Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election interference case. A state commission has powers to discipline and remove prosecutors for not following the law after Kemp signed a bill into law, but the governor does not have the ability to remove prosecutors.
“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor. Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said.
The former president has continued to repeat false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes in 2020, and the former president pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win. Trump and his allies also attempted to present slates of so-called “fake electors” that could replace the Democratic voters Biden won.
Trump was later indicted in Georgia for attempting to overturn the election, although the case is now on hold as the courts decide whether Willis can continue to prosecute it.
Kemp certified the electors that Biden won in 2020 and rejected efforts by Trump allies to replace them.
JD VANCE CALLS TRUMP’S OFFER TO DEBATE HARRIS ON FOX NEWS ‘MASTERSTROKE’
Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, speaks during an election night rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The governor did not endorse anyone in this year’s GOP primary but has said he will vote for the Republican ticket in November, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee after Biden suspended his re-election campaign, look to win the battleground state of Georgia, which had gone to the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1996 before Biden won it four years ago.
Harris’ campaign correctly predicted before Trump’s rally that he would deny the 2020 election results.
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After the rally, the Harris campaign released a statement from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served alongside Kemp during the governor’s first term.
“If you were able to see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who does not care about uniting this country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election,” Duncan said in the statement. “Millions of Americans are fed up with his grievance-filled campaign focused only on himself.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ATHENS — Kirby Smart is dialed in, and it’s clear he has the same expectations for his players with Georgia’s CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal with Ole Miss fast approaching.
UGA last took the field on Dec. 7, when it defeated Alabama in the SEC title game, 28-7.
Smart acknowledged on Monday that the time between games does create challenges, but also, potential benefits.
“The negative is when you’re playing good football, a lot of times you want to keep playing, you want to stay in rhythm, you want to stay in a weekly schedule,” Smart said.
“That schedule gets thrown off by the break. You do the best you can with the calendar you have and try to talk to other people and find out what the best way to do things is.”
Smart said that, despite the underlying roster management taking place in his program — as it is in every program, with teams on the verge of the Jan. 2-Jan. 16 portal window — the focus is on the game.
“Development occurs in December for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on,” Smart said, noting that, regardless of players’ futures, hard work is the next step.
“Did you truly come here to develop? Because if you did, all your buddies are out there right now, everybody’s announcing what they’re doing, announcing that ‘I’m going into the portal, announcing that I’m re-signing.’
Smart said a different sort of declaration is more appropriate.
“How about you announce that you’re getting better and you’re going to practice?” Smart said, “And actually do what the 20 and 30 years of college football players did before you, which was practice in December.”
The Bulldogs (12-1) play Ole Miss (12-1) at 8 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal in New Orleans, and Smart made it clear there’s not a second to waste.
“I’m excited about where our team is, (and) I’m excited that they’re practicing the way they are and are excited about the opponent, because they have so much respect for the team,” Smart said of the Rebels, who held a double-digit lead over UGA before the Bulldogs rallied for a 43-35 win in Athens earlier this season.
Smart said the Bulldogs’ preparation this year is similar to what it was last year leading into a CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against Notre Dame, a game Georgia lost 23-10 to the eventual CFP runners-up.
“As far as changes, going to New Orleans, there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of change,” Smart said.
“We don’t think we did anything wrong in the prep last year. We didn’t necessarily play a great game, but we also played a really good football team. We had a block of the middle eight (minutes, final four of first half, first four of second) where we played really poorly, but I don’t think there was anything wrong with our prep.”
To Smart’s point, the Irish scored 17 points between the 39-second mark of the second quarter and the 14:45 mark of the second half — a span of 54 seconds — on a drive-ending field goal, a touchdown one play after a strip-sack fumble on Gunner Stockton and the opening kick of the second half being returned for a touchdown.
Georgia actually out-gained Notre Dame 296-244 but could not overcome a fumble in the end zone, the turnover that led to an Irish touchdown and a special teams breakdown.
Smart noted the back-breaking nature of such plays when teams are more evenly matched.
“I think when you play a quality team, just like every game we play in the SEC is tight,” Smart said. “And so when you’re in a playoff, you’re gonna play a good team.
“We trust the prep we have. We trust the rest and recovery we’ve had. And we’re gonna trust the plan we have to go out there and play at a high level.”
Georgia
Patrons under the age of 30 to be barred from entering Georgia Street Lounge in downtown Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — A nightclub in downtown Indianapolis is planning to implement new age restrictions.
In a post on Facebook, Georgia Street Rhythm and Blues Lounge indicated that it will no longer accommodate guests under 30 years of age. Georgia Street Lounge posted a statement on its decision on its Facebook page.
In the post, the lounge’s management team indicated that it is planning to add new age restrictions because younger patrons “do not know how to conduct themselves in a grown and sexy environment.”
Georgia Street Lounge has indicated that it is willing to make exceptions to the rule for its staff and marketing team’s special guests.
“Georgia Street Lounge will now be age restricted to 30 and over,” the business’ management team wrote in its statement. “Unless you are a special guest of our staff or marketing team, you will not be allowed entry!!!”
In its statement, Georgia Street Lounge also suggested that it will no longer host any birthday parties for individuals under the age of 30.
“Do not contact us for any under-30 birthdays or special events, because the answer will be no,” Georgia Street Lounge management wrote in its statement. “Go somewhere else!!!”
FOX59/CBS4 checked public police reports to see how many times IMPD has been called to 28 W. Georgia St. — the address listed for Georgia Street Lounge — in the last six months. That search revealed that police published reports at the address three times between July 23 and Dec. 7.
Two of the times IMPD was called to Georgia Street Lounge over the last six months were for “disturbances.” On the other occasion officers went to the business over the last six months, IMPD took a report for a “simple assault.”
In total, IMPD filed seven reports from 28 W. Georgia St. between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 21, 2025. Officers filed five reports from there in 2024 and six reports from there in 2023.
Those reports do not indicate whether or not police were called to the address to investigate complaints directly involving Georgia Street Lounge or if the address was just closest to where an incident that occurred outside the business happened.
FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to Georgia Street Lounge for more information on its decision to change its age requirements. As of this article’s publication, the business had not responded to requests for comment.
This story has been updated with new information
OXFORD − Ole Miss football has a chance to avenge its only loss of the season in the College Football Playoff.
The Rebels (12-1) face Georgia (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 (7 p.m., ESPN) in New Orleans. It’s the second round of CFP games.
The Bulldogs are the No. 3 seed in the CFP and got a bye week in the first round. Ole Miss, the No. 6 seed, beat Tulane 41-10 on Dec. 20 to advance.
Georgia is the only team that Ole Miss has lost to. The Bulldogs won a regular season game 43-35 on Oct. 18.
Buy Ole Miss vs. Georgia
Ole Miss vs. Georgia prediction
Expect a lower-scoring game that the regular season contest. It would be hard to repeat that game that featured 78 total points and just two combined punts.
It doesn’t seem like a matchup between top-five SEC defenses, but it is. Georgia has allowed 15.9 points per game (No. 2 in the SEC) and Ole Miss has given up 19.3 (No. 5 in the SEC).
The Bulldogs have allowed 10 points or less in each of their past four games, including a 28-7 win vs. Alabama in the SEC Championship. Ole Miss’ defense has high-end talent but less consistency.
Ole Miss vs. Georgia score prediction
Georgia 30, Ole Miss 21: Georgia already beat Ole Miss once, and it’s playing its best football of the season.
When does Ole Miss play Georgia in College Football Playoff?
The Rebels will face the Bulldogs on Jan. 1 at Ceasers Superdome in New Orleans (7 p.m., ESPN).
Ole Miss vs. Georgia tickets
You can find College Football Playoff tickets for Ole Miss vs. Georgia on StubHub.
College Football Playoff bracket 2025-26 dates
CFP quarterfinals
- Wednesday, Dec. 31
- Cotton Bowl (Game 5): No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- Thursday, Jan. 1
- Orange Bowl (Game 6): No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon | 11 a.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- Rose Bowl (Game 7): No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama | 3 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- Sugar Bowl (Game 8): No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
CFP semifinals
- Thursday, Jan. 8
- Fiesta Bowl (Game 9): Winner of Cotton Bowl vs. Winner of Sugar Bowl | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- Friday, Jan. 9
- Peach Bowl (Game 10): Winner of Rose Bowl vs. Winner of Orange Bowl | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
CFP championship game
- Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium (Game 11, Miami): 6:30 p.m.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
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