President Donald Trump vowed Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. He boasted about his crackdown on illegal immigration and the stock market’s “skyrocketing” gains.
He attacked the “fake news,” repeatedly blasted communism, praised the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, and mocked concerns about affordability, which he dismissed as “a made-up word.”
Only about 30 minutes into his Wednesday speech did Trump turn to the official purpose of his appearance at Cobb County’s Wheeler High School: promoting Trump Accounts, the new investment vehicles for children created under the tax-and-spending law Republicans enacted last year.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Trump said, adding: “You think that was an easy thing to do? It wasn’t an easy thing to do.”
It was a familiar split-screen. As with so many of Trump’s Georgia appearances since he launched his first presidential campaign in 2015, there was the speech he was expected to deliver and the freewheeling political performance he actually gave. Wednesday’s visit left no doubt it was more midterm campaign rally than policy promotion.
Trump berated Democrats, extolled GOP contenders and shared the stage with Georgia’s newly minted Republican nominee for governor, Rick Jackson. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the GOP Senate nominee against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, was set to attend but said he needed to stay in Washington for congressional votes.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Jackson, who defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in last month’s runoff, has pledged to be like Trump, but “with a Southern tone.” The billionaire healthcare executive used his moment with Trump to announce he would ask the state Legislature to match the $1,000 the federal government has pledged to give every child born in Georgia between 2025 and 2028.
“If they don’t, I will personally donate it myself,” Jackson said.
Georgia has about 126,000 births each year, meaning the plan would cost about $500 million. Jackson has a net worth of about $3 billion.
“This is more than an account,” said Jackson, who was raised in Georgia’s foster care system. “It’s a message: You are seen, and you are valued. That’s what these Trump accounts do.”
As for Collins, Trump called him “an amazingly respected man” and blasted Ossoff as a “terrible” Democrat whom he compared to goofy 1980s TV fixture Pee-wee Herman.
“I can’t believe he’s a senator,” Trump said, adding that Ossoff is “not even a factor” in Washington.
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Go Wildcats
The rally unfolded in Wheeler’s spacious flag-draped gym, where the Wildcats scoreboard was set to 45-47 — a nod to Trump’s terms as the 45th and 47th president. Thousands crowded onto the campus, with cars spilling onto neighborhood streets surrounding the sprawling high school.
Local school officials and the White House sent repeated emails encouraging attendance. As at many Trump rallies, supporters began arriving hours before the doors opened to secure a spot inside. Some swapped ideas in line about how they planned to invest the money in Trump’s namesake accounts.
The accounts grow tax-deferred, much like traditional individual retirement accounts. The Treasury Department is making a one-time $1,000 deposit into accounts opened for children with valid Social Security numbers who were born from Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2028. Chipmaker Micron Technology and billionaires Michael and Susan Dell have separately pledged contributions to accounts for some children.
“The government is finally giving money back to our children,” Trump said before urging the audience to buy Dell computers.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Outside the school, hundreds of protesters stood in the heat for hours on the sidewalk in front of a Kroger on Roswell Road. Many argued that Trump’s visit was a cover for what they believe was a campaign appearance.
“Just look at the name: Trump Accounts. Does it say anything about kids? No. It’s all about him,” said state Rep. Lisa Campbell, D-Kennesaw. “It’s a shell game.”
Trump appeared unfazed by the demonstrations. His motorcade managed to bypass most of the protesters, although reporters traveling with the president noted seeing a few signs.
He received a much warmer welcome inside the school. At one point, Trump called Atlanta Braves executive Mike Plant and former Braves manager Brian Snitker to the stage. Plant encouraged the president to try out for the team when he’s out of office.
A boisterous Trump then performed the tomahawk chop.
“They say you’re not allowed to do that,” Trump said of the chop. “But do it.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
A litany of partisan warnings
A parade of Republican candidates took the stage before Trump, casting the November election as a referendum on the nation’s future.
“We are in a fight to save Western civilization,” said state Sen. Greg Dolezal, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared Cobb County was “Trump country,” despite it being one of Georgia’s largest areas of Democratic votes.
Trump invoked the threat of creeping socialism and warned that Republicans “better win by a lot, otherwise we’re going Communist.”
Later, he returned to the theme, drawing an explosion of applause and patriotic chants: “We declare again today that the United States of America will never be a Communist country.”
The partisan speeches drew a sharp rebuke from Democrats.
“I was under the impression Cobb Schools was willing to host Trump as an official event, not as a GOP campaign rally with a series of statewide candidate stump speeches,” said state Sen. Josh McLaurin, the Democratic nominee challenging Dolezal.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Political fault lines
Trump’s visit came less than a week after a primetime White House address that fueled speculation he would revive false claims about Georgia’s 2020 election. Trump did not mention Georgia in that speech, focusing instead on alleged Chinese interference in American elections.
He largely sidestepped the issue again Wednesday, although the setting carried its own symbolism.
Once a cradle of Georgia Republican power, Cobb County has become a cornerstone of the Democratic statewide coalition. Republicans still hold a narrow 4-3 majority on the county school board, one of the party’s last major footholds in the county. Local Democrats say Trump’s visit has sent a jolt through the campaign to flip a GOP-held school board seat.
Georgia Democrats sought to use Wednesday’s appearance as a mobilizing tool. Ossoff and Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms have framed their campaigns as referendums on Trump. Ahead of Trump’s visit, Bottoms mocked the ties between Trump, Jackson and Collins.
“Birds of a feather certainly flock together. Let’s watch them flock tomorrow,” she said.
Democrats also pointed to Trump’s poor approval rating as an inevitable drag on GOP tickets in November.
“While they continue to shill for Trump, I have no doubt that voters will reject their failing agenda of crushing costs, healthcare cuts and blatant corruption in November,” said Reese McCranie, a veteran Democratic strategist. “Georgia Republican candidates up and down the ticket will be forced to own their support for all of it.”
—Staff writer Sophia Eppley contributed to this story.
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