President Trump holds rally in Macon

MACON, Ga. - Fresh off a nationally televised town hall Thursday evening and a day of campaigning in Florida on Friday, President Donald Trump made a stop in Macon, Georgia.

Gates at the Make America Great Again Rally at Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon didn’t open until 4 p.m., but supporters were already lined up, ready to get inside. Sen. David Perdue, Gov. Brian Kemp, and State Rep. Vernon Jones were some of the notable supporters who attended and spoke at the rally.

Speaking to a crowded outdoor venue, President Trump spoke about the pandemic, the economy and how Joe Biden would be bad for Georgia and the country.

"In 18 days we're going to win the state of Georgia!" said President Trump.Supporters came from across the state to see the President."I came here to see the greatest president in history!" said Kyle LaDell."I thought this is the quintessential rally, a Trump Rally!" said Krish Yadav.

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"When you're President you get a lot of doctors. They gave me Remdesivir and in a short time I felt like Superman," said President Trump.The president talked about reopening businesses and schools and pointed out that his own son, Barron, tested positive for the coronavirus and recovered in no time.President Trump said under his leadership, there will be optimism, opportunity, and hope, while Biden will deliver pessimism, poverty, and decline.He said he has built the best economy the country has ever seen, and he will do it again."We will make America safe again and we will make America great again!" he proclaimed.

The president had been courting seniors and African Americans in the Sunbelt, including Georgia, a state Republicans haven’t lost in nearly three decades. Trump carried the neighboring states four years ago and must win again to extend his presidency

No Republican presidential candidate has lost Georgia since George H.W. Bush in 1992.

At his first of two stops Friday in Florida, the president spoke directly to seniors who have increasingly soured on his handling of the pandemic.

 “I am moving heaven and earth to safeguard our seniors from the China virus,” Trump said, using his usual blame-shifting term to describe the coronavirus. He also offered an optimistic assessment of the pandemic, even as a surge of new infections spread across America.

“We are prevailing,” the president said, promising to deliver the first doses of a vaccine to seniors when it’s ready.

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The president was fighting for momentum on the campaign trail a day after he and Biden squared off in dueling televised town halls that showcased striking differences in temperament, views on racial justice and approaches to the pandemic.

Democrat challengers Joe Biden was on a Midwest swing on Friday trying to keep voters focused on health care.

The Associated Press contributed to this report