How Trump and Georgia's Republican governor made peace, helped by allies anxious about the election
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham helped broker peace between two longtime foes of the same party: former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
ATLANTA (AP) — The effort to make the peace between Donald Trump and Georgia's powerful Republican governor began in a sprawling neo-Victorian mansion in the exclusive Atlanta enclave of Buckhead.
It was at an Aug. 7 fundraiser hosted by former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler that fellow Republican Lindsey Graham approached Gov. Brian Kemp. Graham, the South Carolina senator and longtime confidant of the former president, was already planning to attend the fundraiser.
Now, Graham had a renewed purpose: to try to ease years of tensions between Trump and Kemp that endangered the GOP's chances in a crucial 2024 battleground.
Graham and Kemp met privately at Loeffler's house. And over the coming weeks, say Graham and others familiar with the matter, allies of both men arranged the two-part détente that played out publicly last Thursday to the surprise of many political watchers.
