Trump is one of the reasons Georgia voted for Biden in 2020. Trump’s latest attack on a Republican will only help Harris.

Donald Trump has revived his feud with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp seemingly out of nowhere, for some reason. 

“He’s a bad guy,” Trump said of Kemp during an Atlanta campaign rally. “He’s a disloyal guy, and he’s a very average governor.” 

Trump’s feud with Kemp and other Georgia Republicans stems from the 2020 election, in which then-incumbent Trump embarrassingly lost the traditionally red state. Following his defeat, Trump attempted to pressure state officials to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. 

Kemp fought back against that attempt. So now he’s the enemy.

Does Trump realize he needs Kemp to win Georgia in November?

Insulting one of the GOP’s most respectable governors, who is extremely popular in his home state, isn’t a recipe for success from Trump, especially when polling in Georgia indicates an even race between him and Kamala Harris. 

What makes it even worse is that Trump has evidently not reflected on the very mistakes he made between 2020 and 2022, in which he lost Republicans the Senate through his own selfishness. 

Republicans lost the Senate in 2022 because of a Senate race in Georgia, in which Trump propped up the extremely problematic Herschel Walker for the GOP nomination. Walker ended up losing in a run-off election. 

Trump goes after Republicans: Has Harris finally broken Trump? He’s flailing, glitching and running scared.

While a majority of the issue in that race was that the GOP nominated a man accused of domestic violence and pressuring a former girlfriend into getting an abortion, the other portion was that Trump had just spent the last two years bickering with Georgia Republicans for not helping Trump’s attempts to steal an election. 

Trump spent the leadup to 2022 complaining that Georgia voting was rigged and that the establishment Republicans were no better than the Democrats there. Shockingly, the GOP lost because they didn’t show up to vote like the left did in that particular election.

Trump’s latest attack on Kemp reminds voters why they dismissed him in 2020

Now, in 2024, Republicans are looking to take the Senate and presidency once again, and once again, Trump is making the same mistake of infighting with GOP leadership in swing states. 

Insisting to your base, the current majority of GOP voters, that the people they are voting for up and down the ticket are not worth your vote is a gross miscalculation of how strong your chances are.

GOP has lost the plot: Republicans calling Harris a ‘childless cat lady’ are fumbling the opportunity to beat her

Trump needs to win Georgia, but he also needs support at the state level to keep the party behind him. While all of Georgia’s House races in 2024 are likely already decided, sowing division in the GOP electorate could, at a minimum, cost the GOP millions as it did in 2022, or even cost seats entirely.

Trump’s attacks against Kemp show he hasn’t changed in the last four years despite positive trends in his recent public conduct. He is still a vengeful, self-absorbed liar who has no interest in putting country or party above himself. 

Trump has the GOP behind him more than he has at any point since entering the political spotlight. He would be wise to continue building unity within the party rather than have his own pride cost his party further elections.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

Former Georgia football defensive back Tykee Smith is expected to be a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after training camp.

The Georgia Bulldogs had yet another impressive NFL draft class this offseason. One of the members was defensive back Tykee Smith who was drafted in the third round with the 89th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The season hasn’t even started but that selection is already looking to have paid off for the organization as Smith is expected to be a starter this season.

ESPN released an article detailing every major position battle for every NFL organization. For the Tampa Bay Bucs, the nickleback spot was the position listed and the major news outlet stated that Smith is projected to be the starter this season.

“With Ben Bredeson now virtually a lock at the left guard position with Sua Opeta’s ACL injury, the focus shifts to the starting nickelback competition. Third-round draft pick Tykee Smith has been lining up with the first-team defense and by all accounts should be the starter. But Tavierre Thomas has had three interceptions in six practices and they still have Christian Izien, the starter from last season.— Jenna Laine”

Tampa Bay’s head coach Todd Bowles said part of what makes Smith so impressive is how ahead of schedule he is as far has maturation in the professional football league.

“He’s come in and picked everything up without missing a beat,” said Bowles. “He has the experience of a seven-or-eight year player, so it seems. He has some things to learn, but he plays so calm and so under control.”

Smith played a massive role for the Bulldogs in 2023 at the STAR position. He proved his versatile skillset to be a highly impactful one as he consistently made plays on the ball and behind the line of scrimmage on a consistent basis. In 2023, he finished with 70 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and four interceptions.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The center of Hurricane Debby is expected to reach the Big Bend coast of Florida early Monday bringing potential record-setting rains, catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge as it moves slowly across the northern part of the state before stalling over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.

Debby was located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The storm was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday evening.

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.

Forecasters warned heavy amounts of rain from Debby could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

The storm was expected to make landfall around midday Monday in the Big Bend area of Florida, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) south of Tampa, the hurricane center said. A tornado watch also was in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia until 6 a.m. Monday.

“Right now, we are to trying secure everything from floating away,” said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns the Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Florida, where some customers moved their boats inland.

The sparsely populated Big Bend region in the Florida Panhandle also was hit last year by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

“I am used to storms and I’m used to cleaning up after storms,” Horne said.

Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) beginning Tuesday.

Officials also warned of life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

“There’s some really amazing rainfall totals being forecast and amazing in a bad way,” Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center, said at a briefing. “That would be record-breaking rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for both the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we got up to the 30-inch level.”

Flooding impacts could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina officials were monitoring the storm’s progress.

Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month’s worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.

“This is going to a significant storm. The word historic cannot be underscored here,” Savannah Mayor Van. R. Johnson said during a press conference.

Debby’s outer bands grazed the west coast of Florida, flooding streets and bringing power outages. Sarasota County officials said most roadways on Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, were under water. The hurricane center had predicted the system would strengthen as it curved off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm.

At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned the storm could lead to “really, really significant flooding that will happen in North Central Florida.”

The storm would follow a similar track to Hurricane Idalia but would “be much wetter. We are going to see much more inundation,” he said.

A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend and Florida Panhandle areas, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Florida’s West Coast, the southern Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm watch extended farther west into the Panhandle.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can trigger river flooding and overwhelm drainage systems and canals. Forecasters warned of 6 to 12 inches (15 centimeters to 30 centimeters) of rain and up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in isolated areas of Florida.

Storm surge expected to hit Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay

Flat Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days and the storm was predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) further north in the Big Bend region.

Forecasters warned of “a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation” in a region that includes Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key. Officials in Citrus and Levy counties ordered a mandatory evacuation of coastal areas, while those in Hernando, Manatee, Pasco and Taylor counties called for voluntary evacuations. Shelters opened in those and some other counties.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast estimated 21,000 people live in his county’s evacuation zone.

Residents, businesses prepare for flooding

Residents in Steinhatchee, Florida, which flooded during Hurricane Idalia, spent Sunday moving items to higher ground.

“I’ve been here 29 years. This isn’t the first time I’ve done it. Do you get used to it? No,” Mark Reblin said as he moved items out of the liquor store he owns.

Employees of Savannah Canoe and Kayak in Georgia said they were busy tying down their watercrafts, laying sandbags and raising equipment off the ground. Mayme Bouy, the store manager, said she wasn’t too concerned about the forecast calling for a potential historic rain event.

“But we do have some high tides this week so if the rain is happening around then, that could be bad,” Bouy added. “I’d rather play it safe than sorry.”

Governors declare emergencies ahead of landfall

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. Utility crews from in and out of state were ready to restore power after the storm, he said in a post on X.

In Tampa alone, officials gave out more than 30,000 sandbags to barricade against flooding.

“We’ve got our stormwater drains cleared out. We’ve got our generators all checked and full. We’re doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster made their own emergency declarations.

Northeast coast also preparing for storm conditions

Emergency managers in New England and New York were monitoring the path of the storm for the possibility of remnants striking their states. Northeast states including New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still coping with flooding and saturated ground.

___

Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York.