ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp responded to former President Donald Trump's statement Tuesday lashing out at the Fulton County indictments over the 2020 election, with Kemp asserting "anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law."
"The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen," Gov. Kemp stated.
The governor's post on X came in response to Trump's own social media post promising a press conference next Monday that would detail an "irrefutable report on the presidential election fraud which took place in Georgia."
Kemp wrote:
"For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus."
It is Kemp's latest turn taking aim at Trump, the overwhelming frontrunner for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination.
Just last week the governor posted implicit criticism of Trump for refusing to sign a 2024 GOP loyalty pledge for whomever wins the candidacy.
Kemp, who has said he has no intention to mount a surprise campaign for the GOP 2024 nomination, occupies a somewhat unique place in the Republican party hierarchy.
As a largely popular governor with two victories over Democratic star Stacey Abrams under his belt in a state that has otherwise gone Democratic in other recent statewide races, he could be a potentially influential figure in the 2024 Republican race.
Beyond that, Kemp's priorities and governing style - on issues like abortion, education and the economy - have closely tracked with the preferences of the GOP's conservative base.
That base, however, overwhelmingly backs Trump - a figure still sharply at odds with Kemp over the governor's perceived failure by Trump to do more in 2020 to support his efforts to overturn Georgia's election result. Last year, Trump threw his weight into a primary challenge against Kemp by former Sen. David Perdue, which ultimately did not seriously threaten the governor in his reelection bid.
Kemp has previously contrasted himself implicitly with Trump, saying of his reelection victory last year: "I was just laying out the blue print, for any candidate to be able to win, is to talk about what we're for. Focus on the future not look in the review mirror." And in June he criticized for Trump for congratulating Kim Jong Un in a social media posted.
The governor has however stated he would "certainly" endorse Trump in 2024 if the former president does in fact win the nomination.