President Donald Trump on Monday night continued attacks against Republican officials in Georgia who have refused to bend under his efforts to undermine the state’s election results, suggesting that the state’s lieutenant governor was a “RINO Never Trumper.”
“Too dumb or corrupt to recognize massive evidence of fraud,” Trump said, pleading with supporters to advocate for Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s replacement.
Georgia Lt. Governor @GeoffDuncanGA is a RINO Never Trumper who got himself elected as LG by falsely claiming to be “pro-Trump”. Too dumb or corrupt to recognize massive evidence of fraud in GA & should be replaced! We need every great Georgian to call him out! #SpecialSession!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2020
The comments signal Trump’s increasing alienation from those he once considered allies in the Republican Party as he continues to press ahead in pressure campaign to overturn election results in at least three states he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump predictably attacked Duncan after the GOP official touted the recent presidential election as “fair,” and said that Trump had not won the state.
“As the lieutenant governor and a Georgian, I’m proud that we’re able to look up after three recounts and watch and be able to see that this election was fair,” Duncan said in a CNN interview on Sunday.
Duncan also previously took jabs at Trump’s efforts to remain relevant while playing up false claims of fraud, saying in an interview last week, “I think we hurt the brand of our Republican party, which is certainly bigger than one person long term.”
Trump’s attack on Duncan, follows similar efforts to undermine other Georgia GOP officials involved in securing the state’s election, including Gov. Brian Kemp (R) who Trump has said he is “ashamed” of having formerly endorsed. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) who has also been a target of Trump’s wrath, chastised the President last week for continuing to play up claims of fraud in states “where he obviously lost” while refusing requests from Georgia election officials to condemn the threats of violence on election workers stemming from those claims.
Responding to Trump’s comments early Tuesday, Duncan dismissed the President’s attacks against him, instead urging Trump to “agree” to refocus his efforts on next month’s runoff elections in the state.
“Let’s agree that re-electing @kloeffler & @sendavidperdue should be your top priority,” Duncan said, advising Trump to turn his attention to runoff elections next month that will determine who holds majority in the Senate ahead of undermining state officials within his own party.
Thank you for 4 years of conservative leadership @realdonaldtrump. You’ve proven that a business minded outsider can be effective in DC and your legacy will last a generation in our Supreme Ct. Let’s agree that re-electing @kloeffler & @sendavidperdue should be your top priority. https://t.co/lzXuSixUOn
— Geoff Duncan (@GeoffDuncanGA) December 8, 2020
