ATLANTA – Former President Donald Trump brought his campaign to Republican-friendly Middle Georgia Wednesday, appearing before an enthusiastic crowd at Christ Chapel in Zebulon.
Billed as a Believers and Ballots Town Hall, the event had a religious flavor. In a much different format from Trump’s usually raucous rallies, the former president answered questions from the audience with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones serving as moderator.
Calling the Nov. 5 election the most important in U.S. history, Trump promised to put an end to illegal immigration by deporting illegal immigrants, a group he accused of being responsible for a disproportionate number of violent crimes in America.
“It’s the single biggest problem we have,” he said. “We’re going to do something to stop it real quickly.”
Democrats have countered that illegal immigrants actually commit fewer crimes as a group than the general public. On Tuesday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported illegal border crossings have reached the lowest point since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Trump also vowed to curb inflation by pursuing a “Drill, baby, drill” policy aimed at making the U.S. energy independent. He said lower energy prices would bring down costs throughout the economy.
In answer to a question on Israel, a nation that evangelical Christians strongly support, Trump listed several accomplishments of his administration, including moving the American embassy there to Jerusalem and withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump also repeated complaints that he has been targeted unfairly by state and federal prosecutors. The former president was convicted in New York earlier this year of 34 felonies for falsifying business records in connection with payments of hush money to a former porn star to cover up a sexual relationship that was threatening to become public shortly before he won the presidency in 2016.
He also has been indicted on charges to trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Biden.
“I’ve been investigated more than any human being in this country,” Trump said. “The FBI, DOJ (Justice Department), they all were coming. … They don’t do that except in Third World countries.”
Jones thanked Trump for working with country music star Jason Aldean of Macon to start a GoFundMe page for victims of Hurricane Helene that raised $7 million.
Trump said Gov. Brian Kemp, who ran afoul of the former president when he refused to participate in efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election, did a good job coordinating the state’s response to the massive storm.
“We had a lot of help from your governor,” Trump said. “He’s been great.”
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, have made multiple campaign trips to Georgia, one of seven battleground states where the election will be decided. Harris will be back in the Atlanta area for a rally Thursday night that will feature former President Barack Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen.