WINDER, Ga. — When President Trump sent tweets described as racist, it was seen as just another intemperate outburst by a man still beloved by the Georgia voters who helped elect him.
Winder is the seat of Barrow County, which Trump won in 2016 with 73 percent of the vote. His backers were unfazed when questioned Thursday by 11Alive News.
"I approve of him. I voted for him," said Corky Rumer, the proprietor of an antiques store downtown.
"I do like him better than I did when he was first elected president," added Carol Donovan, a Winder resident.
Trump sentiment appears to be mostly unabated here.
"I like President Trump. I realize that he, like the rest of us, is not perfect. But he is our president and I really think we should give him our prayers and support," said Annabelle Spence, a Monroe resident from adjacent Walton County.
The support seems solid for a president who tweeted last weekend that four Democratic congresswomen of color – all of them US citizens, three born in the US – should "go back" to the "crime infested places from which they came" – an attack decried as racist.
Asked if she thinks President Trump is a racist, Carolyn Baughman of Hoschton said, "No, I really don’t. I think he just gets carried away."
Wednesday in North Carolina, Trump supporters chanted “send her back” when Trump spoke of US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), one of the four congresswomen referenced in the president's weekend tweets.
"I don’t really think they should go back to their country of origin," said Eric Madden of DeKalb County, who was eating lunch in Winder Thursday. "But maybe they should go somewhere that’s pretty hot."
Donovan said she didn't believe Trump is a racist. "I think everybody says racist things, on both sides," Donovan said. "We’re all human."
Trump's approval isn't universal however. "I won’t say I approve of him more (than in 2016). I approve of him less," said Allegra Vigil of Bethlehem."
Vigil allowed that the president's age, 73, may excuse some of his outbursts.
"Assuming everything that’s said about him in the media is true, about him being sexist and prejudiced, I guess his age, to an extent, excuses it. But if he’s going to be president, he kind of needs to be up in the times," Vigil said.