Former vice president Joe Biden was in Georgia on Monday to rally support for Democrats in the upcoming Senate elections that could determine control of the upper chamber.
No one cared, obviously, especially not the press. Just like they didn't care that Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, was busted for plagiarizing the life story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
All cameras were pointed at President Donald Trump, who rolled up to an airfield in Dalton, Ga., exiting Marine One to the tune of "Macho Man," steeped in a fresh scandal of his own making, for what might have been the last true campaign rally of his presidency. He did not disappoint.
The current vice president, Mike Pence, was also in the state attempting to boost turnout for incumbent Sens. David Perdue (R., Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.). But whereas Pence's remarks were what most political strategists would consider "on message"—stressing the importance of electing GOP senators as a "last line of defense" against Democratic misrule—Trump stayed true to himself and told the strategists where to stick their messaging.
"There's no way we lost Georgia. That was a rigged election," Trump said. He proceeded to expose the journalists in attendance as "communists" who "hate our country," berate the Supreme Court for "not stepping up to the plate," and promise to help defeat the state's "incompetent" Republican governor, Brian Kemp, along with its "crazy secretary of state," Brad Raffensperger.
In between chants of "Fight for Trump!" and "Stop the Steal!" the president called on Pence to "come through for us" on Jan. 6., when the vice president will oversee (or perhaps challenge) the congressional certification of the electoral college vote, enshrining Biden's victory. If not, Trump said, "I won't like him quite as much." Appearing alongside Trump on Monday, Loeffler announced her intention to protest the results.
Trump also criticized the Democrats running for Senate in Georgia: Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old trust fund kid with questionable China ties who "produces" "documentaries," and Rev. Raphael Warnock, an alleged abuser (domestic and child) who is vigorously skeptical of police officers and nation states controlled by Jews. They were, Trump said, "the most extremist liberal candidates ... probably in the history of our country."
A Democratic-controlled Senate, the president warned, would grant radical leftists "unchecked, unrestrained absolute power over every aspect of your lives," including the ability to send "MS-13 gang members straight into your children's schools." Tuesday's election, Trump declared, was a "biggie" not just for the future of the country, but also for the future of his ongoing reelection campaign.
Toward the end of the night, Donald Trump Jr., the GOP frontrunner for president in 2024, looked on as his sister, Ivanka, was called on stage with their father at the crowd's urging. The people of Georgia, she said, had a chance to prove that "freedom is alive and well in America."
The journalists in the crowd, meanwhile, presumably tuned out as Trump continued to fume about consent decrees, "human drop boxes," and signatures in Fulton County. They didn't want freedom to win on Tuesday, but they also didn't want Trump to leave the stage just yet. They longed for the glory days of 2016, and mourned the loss of ratings (and purpose) to come.
As if on cue, Trump graciously indulged their nostalgia with the deftness of a seasoned entertainer. Hillary Clinton must be "the most unhappy person anywhere in the United States," he said. She's probably wondering why the Democrats didn't bother to steal the election for her. Trump's supporters also longed for the glory days, instantly breaking out into chants of "Lock Her Up!"
"The most unhappy person right now, anywhere in the United States is Hillary Clinton because she's asking the Democrat party, 'Why the hell didn't you do this for me?'"
Sad! pic.twitter.com/zSbcI3iFIg
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) January 5, 2021