Presidential candidate Donald Trump organised a rally with conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Georgia — a key swing state that could be crucial in determining the election’s outcome.
Donald Trump and his allies used religious language to push supporters to vote at rallies in the southeastern swing state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Trump framed the election in stark terms at an event organised in a faith-based town hall by conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the far-right political education group he founded, Turning Point USA.
Democrats “stand for everything God hates,” Kirk said, calling the choice between Trump and his rival Kamala Harris, “a spiritual battle.”
“This is a Christian state. I’d like to see it stay that way,” Kirk told the 10,000 or so Georgians, who at one point joined Kirk in a chant of “Christ is King! Christ is King!”
Kirk has used his organisation and online presence to make himself one of the nation’s most recognisable conservatives and a central part of Trump’s operation.
Alongside organising rallies in faith-based centres, Kirk has toured college campuses in swing states with his “You’re Being Brainwashed Tour,” encouraging college students to vote for the Republican party.
Trump has put a particular focus on courting younger men, the so-called “bro vote,” trying to reach them through podcasts, social media and influencers such as Kirk.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump made his own pitch to conservative Christian voters at a faith-focused town hall held at a church in Atlanta, claiming that Christians don’t vote in high numbers.
Trump argued that Christian voters were energised to vote in favour of him, telling the crowd, “When you have faith, when you believe in God, it’s a big advantage over people that don’t have that,” he said.
At the end of what was billed as a “Believers and Ballots” event, Trump moved outside to address an overflow crowd. Several hundred people were assembled in the church parking lot, chanting “USA!”
Trump’s campaign has launched the “Believers for Trump” programme, with has conducted calls with several conservative faith leaders on how to mobilise their congregations to vote for Trump.
Early voting surges
Trump and his supporters encouraged people to vote in, “Whichever way you want to do it.”
The strategy of encouraging supporters to use every method possible to vote is a turning point from when Trump blamed his election loss in 2020 on mail ballots.
In 2020, Trump spun wild conspiracies about early and mail voting, convincing supporters to wait until Election Day to cast their ballot. This year, the Republican party have actively been encouraging people to vote early.
In response, the number of early voters has surged this year, with a record 1.9 million people casting early votes in the state of Georgia where Trump lost by a thin margin — 11,779 votes — four years ago.
As Trump addressed supporters in Georgia, Harris, who is a Baptist, used a CNN town hall in Philadelphia to describe Trump as fascistic. Pennsylvania is another key state both Trump and Harris have been targeting in the run-up to the election, which is less than two weeks away.
