Trump in Georgia Touts Manufacturing Gains as GOP Targets Ossoff

President Donald Trump touted his economic policies as bringing a manufacturing boom to Georgia as he sought to rally voters in a state hosting a crucial US Senate race in November’s midterm election.

Trump hailed investment pledges from companies including pharmaceutical firm UCB SA, tire manufacturer Pirelli & C. Spa and Hyundai Motor Co., seeking to sell voters on policies aimed at boosting industrial production, even as polls show the electorate is more focused on the cost of living and wage growth.

Trump spoke at Dalton in northeastern Georgia as part of a monthlong campaign blitz ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. The president’s approval rating is at record lows and Republican candidates across House and Senate maps are being dragged down by voter discontent over consumer prices and the war with Iran, leaving the party in danger of losing control of Congress.

Georgia is a pivotal battleground in the fight for the Senate. Republicans are trying to knock off incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff but polls show their nominee, US Representative Mike Collins, facing an uphill fight. The RealClearPolitics average of polls has Ossoff leading by roughly 8 percentage points.

Trump said that under Republican leadership US exports were soaring and factories humming — gains he warned would be in danger if Democrats retook either chamber of Congress.

“For decades, blue-collar workers in Georgia were betrayed by corrupt, heartless, globalist politicians like Ossoff,” Trump said.

The president’s economic pitch has struggled to resonate with voters less enamored by promises of coming investment projects and more focused on costs for groceries, healthcare, housing and, in particular, energy. Trump has insisted prices at the pump will fall after the Iran war concludes, though the conflict is in its eighth month with no sign of an off-ramp.

Dalton resident Roger Bowling, 47, said he voted for Trump three times. “I’m not happy about the gas price though,” Bowling said ahead of the rally. “If I had to ask Trump one question it would be when are going to get out of Iran?”

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Republicans were dealt another blow this week with data showing US consumer prices rose in September by the most since April, driven by a surge in fuel costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggested price increases are eroding paychecks, reinforcing the possibility of more Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes in the months head.

The GOP is on the defensive in this cycle even in one-time electoral strongholds. Trump’s campaigning has seen him focus his attention on mobilizing conservative supporters rather than reaching out to swing or independent voters, underscoring the challenging climate for Republicans

On Friday, he dredged up claims of election fraud, claiming Ossoff’s won his seat because of a “rigged election.” The Democrat lost the first round of an election against then Senator David Perdue narrowly but went on to win their runoff.

Ossoff’s campaign said Trump peddled “debunked and recycled election denial claims” but “ridicules the rising cost of living crisis affecting Georgia families.”

“Georgians will hold Mike Collins accountable at the polls in just 18 days,” Ossoff campaign spokesperson Ellie Dougherty said in a statement.

Trump’s continued claims about rigged elections in Georgia have stoked fears there that he will attempt to have the federal government intervene in the state’s ballot counting next month.

He won Georgia in 2016 but lost in 2020, leading the president to promote unfounded theories of widespread election fraud. Trump and key allies were indicted in the state, accused of carrying out election interference, but those charges were eventually dropped. Trump won the state narrowly in 2024.

The state is also hosting a close gubernatorial race, with Republican Rick Jackson holding a slight lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in polls.