Politics
The president will travel to Rome ahead of a special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.
President Donald Trump — pictured speaking at a campaign event in Atlanta in 2024 — is scheduled to speak in Rome on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2024)
President Donald Trump is set to headline his first event in Georgia since he recaptured the state in 2024, with plans to travel to Rome on Thursday to promote his economic agenda.
The appearance in northwest Georgia comes weeks after the FBI raided Fulton County’s elections center and seized truckloads of 2020 ballots, reigniting bitter political divides over the president’s attempt to undo his narrow defeat here six years ago.
And it coincides with the president’s attempts to shape the crowded race to succeed former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a once-steadfast ally of Trump whose abrupt resignation triggered the most significant rupture yet in his political coalition.
The president is testing his clout in Georgia again as a volatile midterm nears.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is both the most endangered Democratic incumbent on the midterm ballot and one of the most nation’s formidable politicians, with a huge campaign account and fractured rivals.
Trump has yet to take sides among three Republicans dueling for his favor: U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley.
He’s also seeking to shape other statewide posts, including a race for governor that revolves around his influence and down-ticket candidacies.
Trump is backing Burt Jones for Georgia’s top job, but the lieutenant governor’s GOP front-runner status is now up in the air after billionaire Rick Jackson entered the race with pledges to spend at least $50 million of his own fortune and be Trump’s “No. 1 favorite governor.”
Polls show Georgians with growing angst about the economy, and that Democrats and independents are putting a greater emphasis on standing up to Trump. Meanwhile, Trump’s immigration enforcement push has rankled voters even in deep-red communities where his administration plans to put new detention facilities.
Trump’s influence will be first put to the test in the 14th District race, where Trump endorsed former District Attorney Clay Fuller in the messy March 10 special election. Though a few candidates dropped out after Trump picked his favorite, more than a dozen remain in the race.
Local Republicans are most anxious over a bruising internal clash with former state Sen. Colton Moore, a grassroots favorite known for his ultraconservative views and flair for controversy. Moore has remained in the race, casting himself as an antiestablishment champion for the district.
And party leaders are also wary of a nightmarish scenario where Democrat Shawn Harris, a military veteran who lost to Greene in 2024, takes advantage of the fractured GOP field to flip a district that has long leaned heavily Republican.
The special election was triggered by Greene’s resignation amid a deepening rift with Trump, setting the stage for as many as five separate elections this year to fill the remainder of her term and the next one.
The White House said Trump is expected to focus his address on bringing down inflation, unemployment and energy costs, part of a GOP effort to frame his first year back in office around an economic message ahead of what could be a bruising midterm.
But it comes amid mounting voter concerns about the economy and other parts of his agenda, including controversy and public backlash over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
