ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp is going to be among the hosts of a Donald Trump fundraiser in Buckhead on Thursday.
Trump won’t be there, but Kemp will, marking a major shift in the two Republicans' troubled relationship for years.
The fundraiser is expected to take place in Buckhead and is seen by Republicans as a welcome turning point in the icy relationship between Trump and Kemp.
"Kemp is very bad for the Republican party. He wouldn’t do anything," Trump said at an Atlanta rally earlier this month, blocks away from the governor's office at the capitol.
"I’m not a fan of your governor," Trump told the crowd.
Trump wasn’t a fan because Kemp declined Trump’s requests to try to overturn the 2020 election.
It’s a rift that has lasted for years. Yet Kemp continued to say he’d support Trump in this fall’s election. And now Kemp is cohosting a fundraiser for Trump this week in Buckhead.
"It was very wise of Trump to make peace with Brian Kemp, very wise of Kemp to make peace with Trump. Both of them are winners in this scenario," said Republican strategist Brian Robinson.
Trump’s campaign can benefit from Kemp’s political organization this fall, Robinson said. And if Trump is successful, he said Kemp can benefit from a lift Trump’s candidacy can give to Republicans running for the state legislature.
Kemp would need a strong GOP majority in the legislature in order to advance his agenda at the state capitol.
"So doing anything to turn out votes for Donald Trump helps Brian Kemp here at home," Robinson said. "That’s hugely important."
It’s worth noting Trump and Kemp will not be in the same room at Thursday’s fundraiser.
Will they appear together between now and November? Fans of political soap opera are anticipating another potential chapter.