Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), locked in a competitive reelection fight, said Wednesday that many Georgia Republicans privately wish President Trump would stay away from their state, as the president prepares to headline a rally in Dalton on Friday.
"I know for a fact, because I talked to some of the Republican officeholders, folks here in Georgia, Georgia Republicans do not want the president to come," Ossoff told MSNBC's Chris Hayes on "All In."
Ossoff, who is facing Republican Rep. Mike Collins in a race that has drawn national attention, singled out his opponent as the exception. "My Trump puppet opponent, the bigot Congressman Mike Collins, is probably the only Republican in Georgia who actually wants Donald Trump to come," he said.
The senator cited a litany of reasons for Trump's perceived drag on the GOP ticket: "The president's deeply unpopular here. The war is unpopular. The tariffs are unpopular. The healthcare cuts and doubled health insurance premiums are deeply unpopular."
Still, Ossoff struck a defiant note, adding, "if the president wants to come to Georgia right now, that's OK with me."
Trump's visit to northwest Georgia comes as the White House confronts a treacherous political landscape. The ongoing conflict in Iran has rattled global markets and sent energy prices climbing, with the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. hit roughly $4.33 on Thursday morning, up from about $3.07 a year earlier.
Polling from Decision Desk HQ shows Trump's approval rating at just 38.7 percent, with disapproval at 59.4 percent. Those numbers reflect deep unease among voters about the war, the economy, and the administration's policy agenda.
The rally in Dalton is part of a broader GOP push to shore up support ahead of the midterms, but Ossoff's comments underscore the tension between national and state-level Republicans. Earlier this cycle, Ossoff and Collins clashed in a heated debate, and the two have continued to trade barbs over the president's record.
Trump's trip also comes as he has been forced to cancel other campaign events due to weather, and as his administration faces scrutiny over controversial proposals, including a plan to livestream an execution that Ossoff has called "deeply unwell."
The Hill has reached out to Rep. Mike Collins's campaign and the White House for comment.
