President Donald Trump used a rally in Dalton, Georgia, to rally Republican supporters behind Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson, as early voting got under way ahead of the 3 November midterm elections.
The 16 October appearance at Dalton Municipal Airport marked the first joint campaign event this autumn for Collins, who is challenging Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, and Jackson, who is running against former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to succeed term-limited Governor Brian Kemp.
Trump arrived later than scheduled and took the stage at about 4.20pm, following a helicopter journey north from Dobbins Air Reserve Base. More than 1,000 people attended the event in a 14,000-square-foot airport hangar, according to organisers.
Trump promises $5,000 payments
In one of the most notable announcements of his address, Trump said every adult American would receive a $5,000 payment if Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress.
He said the money would be funded by tariff revenue collected from foreign trading partners and would have to be spent inside the United States. Trump did not set out how the payments would be authorised, distributed or monitored.
The president also highlighted manufacturing investments in Georgia, including a planned $2 billion pharmaceutical facility by UCB, a $1.2 billion expansion by tyre maker Pirelli in Rome and a $560 million Hyundai investment in West Point.
He claimed that 70,000 manufacturing jobs and 50,000 construction jobs had been added over the past year, and said factory workers had benefited from wage increases of up to $5,000 under Republican economic policies.
Mike Collins attacks Jon Ossoff
Collins used his appearance to present himself as a blue-collar alternative to Ossoff, repeatedly attacking the incumbent senator’s background, political record and links to the Democratic establishment.
“John Ossoff, he ain’t nothing but a test tube Democrat,” Collins told the crowd, accusing his opponent of making Georgia less safe and more expensive. He also mocked Ossoff as a “trust fund kid” and urged voters to reject him on 3 November.
Collins, a former trucking businessman from Jackson, said his career had given him experience of creating jobs and supporting Georgia families. He pledged to back Trump’s agenda in Washington and portrayed the Senate contest as a test of the state’s conservative identity.
He also attacked Ossoff over his criticism of the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-backed immigration measure, and claimed Georgia now had the most secure border in the country.
Trump echoed the criticism, urging voters to remove Ossoff and support Collins while portraying the election as a choice between his administration’s economic policies and Democratic control.
Rick Jackson targets former Atlanta mayor
Jackson focused his speech on Bottoms’s record as Atlanta mayor, accusing her of failing to protect residents and of presiding over rising crime and economic hardship. The claims were made as part of his campaign address and were not independently substantiated at the rally.
“Bad mayors don’t make good government,” Jackson said, warning voters that Georgia should not experience what he described as a repeat of Atlanta’s problems.
The Republican candidate promised to cut property taxes, suspend the state’s gas tax when prices rose and reduce healthcare costs by challenging insurers and other intermediaries. He also pledged to raise teacher pay, introduce term limits and expand support for law enforcement.
Jackson cited Kemp’s endorsement and said he wanted to build on the governor’s record rather than reverse it. He also spoke about growing up in foster care and struggling financially, presenting his personal history as evidence of his understanding of families facing hardship.
The rally was briefly interrupted by demonstrators holding anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement banners. The protesters were removed by security, while no wider security incident was reported.
Trump’s visit formed part of a wider Republican effort to boost turnout in North Georgia. Vice-President JD Vance held a campaign stop in Atlanta earlier in the week, while Ossoff and Bottoms were due to appear together at a Democratic rally in Cobb County on Saturday.
