Trump Jr releases Georgia ad amid fears Trumps are derailing Georgia hopes for Republicans

‘Don’t let Chuck Schumer and the radical left succeed,’ says president’s eldest son

James Crump
Tuesday 01 December 2020 17:23 GMT
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Donald Trump Jr will release an ad in Georgia on Tuesday, ahead of January’s Senate runoff elections, as some Republican officials raise concerns about his family’s involvement in the campaign.

Mr Trump Jr, 42, who is the president’s eldest son, is featured in a new six-figure radio ad that is being released in Georgia today.

The commercial is in support of Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who will face Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff on 5 January in runoff elections, after no candidate got more than 50 per cent of the vote in either race on 3 November’s election.

In the ad, Mr Trump Jr tells Georgia residents that the US Senate is “on the line” and his father’s accomplishments are “on your ballot”, according to audio obtained by Axios.

The ad starts with audio of Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer telling a crowd of Democratic supporters: “Now we take Georgia, and then we change the world.”

Mr Trump Jr then falsely claims that “the radical left wants to tear down everything we’ve accomplished; Defunding the police, destroying private health insurance and dismantling the Supreme Court.”

The 42-year-old adds: “Don’t let Chuck Schumer and the radical left succeed. On 5 January, vote Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue for Senate.”

The one minute ad will air on conservative talk radio and country music stations from Tuesday, and is sponsored by the new super PAC, Save the US Senate, which was recently formed by advisers to Mr Trump Jr.

The PAC filmed multiple TV ads featuring the 42-year-old in New York City on Monday, which it plans to begin airing statewide in the next few weeks.

President Donald Trump will visit Georgia for a rally on Saturday, but some Republican figures have raised concerns that he will use the event to falsely claim that there was widespread fraud in 3 November’s election.

Although President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election earlier this month, Mr Trump has yet to concede, despite officially launching the transition process.

The president and his campaign team have filed 39 unsuccessful lawsuits in battleground states that Mr Biden won. The Trump team has so far provided no definitive evidence of any voting irregularities.

On Monday, President Trump called Georgia governor Brian Kemp “hapless” for not intervening to “overrule” the certification of Mr Biden’s win in the state. He said he is ashamed that he supported Mr Kemp’s successful reelection bid in 2018.

Reacting to the president’s recent comments, some establishment GOP figures told the Associated Press that his false claims could derail Republican efforts on 5 January.

Brendan Buck, who previously served as a senior adviser to former House Speaker Paul Ryan, told the AP on Tuesday: “The president has basically taken hostage this race.”

While Republican donor Dan Eberhart said that “Trump’s comments are damaging the Republican brand,” and added that he is “acting in bad sportsmanship and bad faith” instead of focusing on the elections next month.

However, Trump ally Jack Kingston, a former US representative, said that Mr Trump campaigning in Georgia is “keeping the base interested.”

He told the AP that “followers of Trump will follow Trump, but they’re not blind to the huge stakes. And neither is he.”

Mr Kingston added: “He knows to keep his legacy. He’s got to get these people reelected.”

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