SAVANNAH, Georgia (WTOC) – WTOC spoke with local politicians ahead of the former president’s visit.
This is the former president’s first visit to the Hostess City, and local Republicans are thrilled that he is making Savannah a priority.
Former President Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday will focus on taxes and U.S. manufacturing.
An announcement on his campaign website said he would outline his plans to cut taxes for American businesses and emphasize the importance of buying American-made goods.
Given the growth in the coastal area, especially in the manufacturing sector, local Republicans say Savannah is the perfect place to discuss these issues.
They also say that the former president is the perfect person to contact.
“Tourism is doing well, production at Gulfstream has grown from 4,000 to 12,000 employees in just 15 years, the Hyundai Metaplant, we have military bases here,” said Georgia Senator Ben Watson.
“Just as the state of Georgia is pro-business, Donald Trump is pro-business. He is a businessman and he knows what a burden taxes can be on people,” said Georgia Representative Buddy Carter.
Both gentlemen said they hoped Georgia voters would focus on the policies proposed by Trump, which they believe will have the greatest impact once someone takes over the Oval Office next year.
Local Democrats said they simply hoped Trump could get these points across, as they said he tends to dwell on “debunked conspiracy theories.”
Both parties agree on one point: During his speech on Tuesday and for the rest of the election campaign, the focus should again be on the political ideas of the individual candidates.
“Forget ‘he said this about her, she said that about him.’ This is about politics. Elections have consequences because politics have consequences. And if you look at Donald Trump’s policies, you will see that his policies are what the state of Georgia and the people of Georgia want,” said Representative Carter.
“I really hope that voters will focus on the issues and democracy and focus on planning their vote and trusting the electoral process. Former President Trump did a lot to undermine confidence in elections, and so I don’t want anyone to feel like their vote doesn’t matter,” said Georgia Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook.
The former president’s first stop in the Hostess City after Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit about three weeks ago shows, according to local politicians, how important the state of Georgia is to both candidates in the upcoming election.
“Georgia is a purple state, we have statewide elected Democrats and we have statewide elected Republicans. So the elections in this state are wide open and it is certainly important that both sides of the campaign pay attention to Georgia,” said Representative Westbrook.
“Look, if he doesn’t win Georgia, he hasn’t won. And he understands that and he understands that it’s a battleground state now and he’s paying attention to that. Once he gets in, I think he’s going to excite the base and the more we get into this campaign and the more people understand that this is about policy and that he’s right on policy, the more I think he’s going to make a huge difference in the state of Georgia,” said Representative Carter.
A recent CBS News poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly leading in swing states like Georgia, with 51 percent of people in those states voting for her and 49 percent choosing former President Donald Trump.
According to CBS News, it was a 50-50 race last month.
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