Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams defended herself Sunday against President Trump’s assertion that she is not qualified to be governor “by any stretch of the imagination.”
Trump made his remark Thursday when asked about her high-profile endorsement from Oprah Winfrey. Trump said Abrams is not qualified and that Georgia “will be in big, big trouble very quickly” if she’s elected.
Trump has a history of insulting the abilities of people he disagrees with, and has frequently described Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who like Abrams is an African-American woman, as a “low-IQ person.” In a single tweet in August he attacked the intelligence of NBA star LeBron James and newsman Don Lemon, who are both African-American.
Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2018
The New York Times has compiled an extensive list of Trump’s slurs against blacks and other minorities.
Chuck Todd, the moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” asked Abrams what she thought of the president’s assessment.
“I find his assessments to be vapid and shallow,” Abrams responded. “I am the most qualified candidate.”
Abrams, who served in the Georgia Legislature for a decade and was its House minority leader, listed her experiences and accomplishments that she thinks prepared her to be Georgia’s top executive: She is a business owner, a Yale Law School-educated tax attorney, a civic leader who helped to register more than 200,000 Georgians, a political leader who worked across the aisle to improve access to education and transportation and someone who stopped the single largest tax increase in Georgia history.
“There is no one more qualified standing for this office in Georgia, and I look forward to having the voters of Georgia say the same,” she said.
The gubernatorial race is extremely close. The Cook Political Report considers it a tossup. If successful, Abrams will the country’s first female African-American governor.
Trump is holding a rally for Abrams’s opponent, Republican Brian Kemp, at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon on Sunday afternoon. He publicly endorsed Kemp last month in a tweet that similarly described Abrams as “totally unqualified.”
“Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be a great governor. He has been successful at whatever he has done, and has prepared for this very difficult and complex job for many years. He has my Strong Endorsement. His opponent is totally unqualified. Would destroy a great state!” Trump wrote.
Kemp was a member of the Georgia Senate from 2003 until 2007. He has been Georgia’s secretary of state since 2010. His is widely accused of voter suppression and was ordered by a federal judge Friday to let 3,141 people who had been ineligible to vote to cast their ballots on Tuesday.
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