ROME, Ga. (AP) 鈥� The White House insisted that President Donald Trump was visiting Georgia to .
But in the opening minutes of his first stop at a local restaurant before touring a steel company, the president raised debunked claims of voter fraud, talked up his plan to require voters to , and discussed the recent FBI raid of election offices in the state’s most populous county.
鈥淭hey came in, they took all those ballots; all those crooked ballots were taken,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd the Democrats are fighting like hell. They don鈥檛 want anyone to see those ballots. Let鈥檚 see what happens.鈥�
Later at Coosa Steel Corporation, the president charged that Democrats 鈥渃heated like dogs鈥� in the 2020 election.
The White House has long said Trump would focus more on the economy, and he frequently complains that he doesn鈥檛 get enough credit for it. But recent months have been dominated by other issues, including deadly clashes during deportation efforts in Minneapolis, potential military action in Iran, and his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Trump’s destination in Georgia suggests he has something else on his mind, too. He was appearing in the congressional district previously represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former supporter who after feuding with Trump.
There’s a special election to replace her on March 10.
After his early focus on the state’s voting system, Trump refocused his comments on the economy as he toured a steel company whose owner said it had benefited from the president’s tariffs.
The president, who was especially fiery at times during his public remarks, also railed against the Supreme Court, which is weighing the legality of his novel use of an emergency powers law to impose .
鈥淚鈥檝e been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do it as president,鈥� Trump shouted. He added, 鈥淭he tariff is the greatest thing that has happened to this country.鈥�
Trump also claimed that inflation is no longer a problem in the U.S., blaming Democrats for rising costs: 鈥淭hey caused the affordability problem. And we solved it.鈥�
Meanwhile, tied to one of America鈥檚 leading banks showed on Thursday that tariffs paid by midsize U.S. businesses tripled over the course of the past year.
The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the U.S. 鈥� the kinds of businesses that Trump had promised to revive 鈥� have had to find ways to absorb the , by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer workers or accepting lower profits.
False claims of voter fraud
The Georgia visit comes less than a month after federal agents seized voting records and ballots from Fulton County, home to the state鈥檚 largest collection of Democrats.
Trump has long seen Georgia as central to his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats and President Joe Biden, a fabrication that he reiterated repeatedly this week, including during a White House reception on Black History Month.
Trump praised the FBI raid during his speech at the steel company.
鈥淭he FBI came in and raided. They found plenty of your stuff, and now they have the ballots,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd the Democrats are fighting like hell. 鈥� Now they鈥檙e trying to stop anybody from looking. You know why? Because they cheated like dogs.鈥�
Audits, state officials, courts and Trump鈥檚 own former attorney general have all rejected the idea of widespread problems that could have altered the election.
Some Republicans are now pushing for Georgia鈥檚 State Election Board, which has a Trump-aligned majority, to take control of elections in Fulton County 鈥� a step enabled by a controversial state law passed in 2021.
Board member and conservative commentator Janelle King said she was aware of calls for a takeover, but said Wednesday that 鈥渋t鈥檚 just not something that we鈥檙e looking to do without having all of the information.鈥� She said she expects to have a clearer picture once the FBI is done with its investigation.
At the same time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was 鈥渆xploring his options鈥� when it comes to a potential executive order he teased on social media over the weekend designed to address voter fraud.
Trump described Democrats as 鈥渉orrible, disingenuous CHEATERS鈥� in the post, which is pinned to the top of his social media account. He also said that Republicans should feature such claims 鈥渁t the top of every speech.鈥�
Scott Johnson of Marietta, a longtime GOP leader in Georgia who attended the president’s speech, said 鈥渢he economy is a winning issue for us.鈥�
He’s not so sure that boosting claims of election fraud from 2020 is a good idea.
鈥淚鈥檓 not concerned about relitigating the past. I鈥檓 concerned about moving forward in the future,鈥� he said.
Greene has not gone quiet
Trump on Thursday did not address fresh attacks from Greene, once among the president’s most vocal allies in Congress and now one of his loudest conservative critics.
In a social media post ahead of Trump’s visit, Greene noted that the White House and Republican leaders met earlier in the week to develop an effective midterm message. She suggested they were 鈥渙n the struggle bus鈥� and blamed them for health insurance costs that ballooned this year.
鈥淎pproximately 75,000 households in my former district had their health insurance double or more on January 1st of this year because the ACA tax credits expired and Republicans have absolutely failed to fix our health insurance system that was destroyed by Obamacare,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd you can call me all the petty names you want, I don鈥檛 worship a man. I鈥檓 not in a cult.鈥�
Early voting has already begun in the special election to replace Greene, and the leading Republican candidates have fully embraced Trump.
Trump was traveling on Thursday with his preferred candidate, Clay Fuller, a district attorney who prosecutes crimes in four counties and described himself as 鈥渁 MAGA warrior鈥� before Trump took the stage.
Other candidates in the race include Republican former state Sen. Colton Moore, who made a name for himself with a vociferous attack on Trump鈥檚 prosecution in Georgia. Moore, the favorite of many far-right activists, said he鈥檚 been in communication with Trump even after Trump endorsed Fuller, calling the choice 鈥渦nfortunate.鈥�
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 the greatest president of our lifetimes,鈥� Moore said.
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Peoples reported from Washington. AP writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed.
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