Trump in Georgia: Democrats 'want to let the Marxists into power'

By: John T. Bennett

President Donald Trump arrives Wednesday to speak at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump traveled to Cobb County, Georgia, on Wednesday, wading into one of the nation’s most closely watched political battlegrounds as Republicans aim to flip a Senate seat in November.

The president and the GOP hoped his remarks at what was officially a White House event on the economy would boost Republican candidates in the Peach State with less than four months until the midterm elections. Among those candidates is Rep. Mike Collins, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — a senator widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender.

Trump’s Remarks at the Marietta Rally

About 40 minutes into the rally at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Trump called Ossoff “terrible” and compared him to actor “Pinky Herman,” an apparent flubbed reference to the comedy character Pee-wee Herman, portrayed by Paul Reubens.

“John Ossoff and the congressional Democrats voted against securing our border. They voted against our massive tax cuts that you have. They voted against the Trump accounts for your children. They want to raise your taxes by a lot, not lower than we lowered your taxes,” Trump said.

“John Ossoff and the Democrat communists want to let the Marxists into power, bankrupt your families, and leave you totally undefended with wide open borders,” he added. “But we will not let that happen to our country.”

Race Ratings and Polling

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates Ossoff’s reelection race as a “Toss-up.” A June 27–30 poll by data and research firm Wick found the state’s senior senator at 46.7 percent support among likely voters, compared to Collins’ 42.9 percent.

According to Wick’s analysts, Collins needs to “change how voters compare the candidates” on issues such as costs, families, and a Georgia-first message. The analysts noted that Ossoff’s shift toward that messaging “appears to be registering.”

Trump’s Support for Collins

Speaking in a solidly conservative district, Trump told the crowd that Collins has “got the whole package” and “would bring so much — they call it pork, we call it money — but he’ll bring a lot of action back to your state.”

Departure from Economic Message

As is typical, the president did not stick to the prepared economic script. He opened the event by criticizing what he described as creeping “communism” from democratic socialist candidates, the Biden administration’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan, and hailing the risky military and law enforcement operation he ordered in Venezuela — a country he contended “is now working with us to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil.”

When he turned to affordability — which polls show is the top issue for most voters — he blamed the previous administration.

“They tried to blame high prices on me. So, particularly, when I inherited this thing on Jan. 20, [2025], we had the highest inflation in many, many years. … I had nothing to do with it,” he said. “Every day, we’re fighting to put more money back in the pockets of the hardworking American families.”

“And that’s why, with the help of our incredible Republican majorities in Congress, we’ve done so much. I proudly signed the great, big beautiful bill delivering the largest tax cuts in American history,” he added, reflecting a recent GOP-wide messaging shift on last year’s sweeping tax and spending law to emphasize its tax cuts.