“I was upset that he dropped out of the race. [But] I woke up today with a different outlook because I don’t like a quitter, and I wouldn’t say I liked the fact that the Democrats were not being unified like the Republicans. But I wanted Kamala to be at the top of the ticket in the future, and now she is. I do feel encouraged today with Kamala at the top of the ticket. So, I’m looking forward to the first black female president. I do hope that she does unify the country.”
Douglas Johnson
College Park
“I was happy he dropped out, but I’m stuck with who will replace him. I’m all for Black women. Let’s get together and uplift and empower our Black women. But I don’t think she’s authentic. I’ve been reading a lot of your articles where she kept black men [locked up] and incriminated a lot of black men that she could have helped them. I wish it were somebody like Joe that was more authentic. At one point, she was claiming she was Indian and not necessarily black. To me, it’s no different than what Trump is doing. I don’t want him. I know he doesn’t like us, but she pretends she is for us only for her cause. That’s what she’s done her whole life.”
Lorene Hill
Newnan
“I believe it will be an interesting race because One, she’s Black. Two, she’s a woman. Third, there was still some controversy about how she was as a D.A. On the other hand, Trump has a lot of followers, but in my opinion, he’s a cult leader. [I hope] people get out and vote for who [they feel is] their best person that they think will take care of our country.”
Marc Smith
Atlanta
“I was relieved because I was really for Biden and his family and relieved that maybe there’s a chance of beating Trump. I hope that Kamala gets the nomination, that she wins, and that people accept that you can have a female president. It’d be great to have the first black female president. I mean, we’re in peril. We’re in a moment of crisis. And she’s running against a guy that has 34 felonies. So, I don’t know how that’s a choice.”
“My initial reaction was it was an inside job. I believe that the shooter and also the victim were part of Donald Trump’s plan. This is just a derailment to get off the subject of what he’s facing, and I truly believe it is an inside job. I do. I believe it was an inside job until I see proof that this man was not part of a plan.”
Omari Stennet
Covington
“I think it was absurd. I think it was uncalled for. I’m not a big fan of politics like that. I’m not even a big fan of Donald Trump. However, he’s for the people from listening to Donald Trump and what he represents and speaks about. And all he wanted to do was the right thing. So I don’t I don’t want him to get killed. I don’t want anybody to get killed. But, you know, I thought it was absurd. And I’m more than grateful that he survived. And I wish the best for him. I don’t want anything to happen to Donald Trump. And that’s my answer. It’s good.”
Francesca Lowe
Fayetteville
“I didn’t believe it. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t hear about it. My coworker just told me. And the first thing that came to mind was that it was staged. It was not real to provoke sympathy or empathy. I’m not sure which one. That’s it.”
Roger Williams
Atlanta
“My first reaction to what happened to Trump is that I believe the government set it up because a real sniper is not going to miss; if they wanted to shoot you, they would have shot you. A real sniper is not going to miss. I think it was politically set up for him to get more votes, get more attention, and for him to make history because he was almost assassinated. I mean, it’s all publicity.”
Assembled media from across the country awaiting President Biden’s arrival. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Voice was a part of the presidential press pool Thursday that met with United States President Joseph R. Biden hours before he was scheduled to meet former United States President Donald J. Trump for the first of two debates. The first being inside Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion in Midtown. Biden returns to Atlanta after having delivered the commencement speech at Morehouse College in May.
President Biden greeted guests waiting for him on the tarmac at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
3:15 p.m. – Air Force One lands at Dobbins Air Reserve Base and President Biden is greeted on the tarmac by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and two-time Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and others. Biden took a moment to speak with each of them before leaving and joining the presidential motorcade.
3:43 p.m. At the corner of Baker Street in downtown Atlanta dozens of Biden supporters waved signs and shouted “Let’s Go Joe”, “Four More Years”, and “If You’re Happy and You Know It Vote for Joe.”Biden got out to shake hands and sign autographs. The organized gathering spilled into the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta where more Biden-Harris supporters were waiting.
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Gina Palmer, owner of She Salon, is flanked by Senator Jon Ossoff (right) and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, spoke of having to watch many of her friends close their small businesses during the Trump administration. “I have seen my friends close their businesses because they were struggling to get by,” Palmer said. “Because of the Biden-Harris administration we are making a comeback.” Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
With the 2024 presidential election just a little more than four months away surrogates for both the Biden-Harris administration and for former United States President Donald J. Trump are hitting the campaign trails throughout Georgia. For voters, Democratic and Republican, having respected political figures show their political cards can go a long way to steering certain voter blocks – seniors, small business owners, young voters, Black voters, for example- to the polls in November.
A sign on the wall inside Rocky’s barber shop. Photo by Julia Beverly/The Atlanta Voice
The voice coming over the speakerphone was a familiar one. Inside Rocky’s Barber shop on Piedmont Road in Buckhead and outside the door via a speaker that was set up to accommodate the dozens of media members that were there to cover a roundtable discussion with Trump surrogates and Black small business owners on Wednesday, June 26, former United States President Donald J. Trump began to speak.
“As you know I cut taxes and regulations more than any administration ever,” Trump said. He went on to say that during his time in office his administration say the lowest percentage of Black unemployment in history and they now “have great support from the Black community.”
That support was on display at the barbershop a day before the first presidential debate was set to take place in Midtown at McCamish Pavilion Thursday night. A roundtable discussion about Black voters supporting the Trump campaign was moderated by Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (FL) and attended by fellow Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt (TX), Dr. Ben Carson, the former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Trump, and a number of local Black small business owners. With media from across the country and the world (there were reporters representing media outlets from Spain and the UK in attendance), Donalds, a strong Trump supporter, kicked things off with a story about how both of his parents attended Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs) because “that’s all they had.”
Photo by Julia Beverly/The Atlanta Voice
“This is all about Black excellence and it’s not confined to one party,” Donalds said. “Black excellence is about everyone.”
The two-hour roundtable was one of the examples of how the Trump campaign is attempting to reach Black voters. During his time on speakerphone, Trump made a couple jokes and was asked about his idea of no longer having tips taxed for wage workers.
“I just came up with it,” he said. “Let the people earn what they earn. [The idea] has been so popular. Vote for Trump, no tax on tips.”
Republican National Committee spokesperson Henry Scavon told The Atlanta Voice that the Trump campaign now has “over a dozen fully staffed field offices in the state right now.” There have been offices opened in remote Georgia cities like Martinez and north Atlanta Republican strongholds like Alpharetta, according to Scavon. There were also offices opened in Fayette, Gwinnett, Cherokee, and Cobb counties, he says.
A number of events featuring Congressman Hunt and hosted by former ESPN host Sage Steele are scheduled for this week around metro Atlanta.
During a Small Business Owners for Biden-Harris event which took place at She Salon in Castleberry Hill on Tuesday, June 25, Senator Jon Ossoff, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Georgia State Senator Jason Esteves, along with several small business owners. One of those small business owners, Gina Palmer, the owner of She Salon and the event’s host, said she watched a lot of her fellow small business owners close their businesses during COVID. She blamed those closures on the ineptitude of the Trump administration.
“I have seen my friends close their businesses because they were struggling to get by,” Palmer said. “Because of the Biden-Harris administration we are making a comeback.”
Ossoff, who gave Palmer a hug after she was done speaking to the assembled media inside her small salon, added, “I am here to deliver a very simple message: We must reject Donald Trump’s comeback bid.”
Asked if he believes the small business voter block is one that the Biden-Harris should target, Ossoff said, “You are hearing first hand from small business owners here today just how much they appreciate competent leadership that’s focused not just on the most powerful companies and largest companies with the most lobbyist, but the main street businesses who were left behind during the former president’s botched Covid response and have been the center of this administration’s attention.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has been a staunch supporter of the Biden-Harris administration. “This type of leadership is making a difference on the ground in Atlanta,” said Dickens. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Dickens reiterated Ossoff’s statements and was very clear about how much he believes the Biden-Harris administration has had Georgia on their minds.
“As mayor I’ve seen first hand how the infrastructure bill has helped Atlanta,” said Dickens. Less than a month ago Atlantans had to deal with a major water main break in Midtown, downtown and on the southwest side. “This type of leadership is making a difference on the ground in Atlanta.”
On Saturday, June 22 seniors and veterans from Columbus, Georgia and the surrounding district gathered in a hotel conference room to hear Congressmen Sanford Bishop (D-Ga., 2nd District) and his good friend and colleague Jim Clyburn (D-SC, 6th District) talk about the importance of voting this election season.
Biden-Harris surrogates like Clyburn, a longtime colleague of Biden’s from his Congress days, and Bishop, who is in a race for his seat with Republican challenger
Nearly 155 million Americans voted during the previous presidential election. More than 75% of registered and active voters ages 65-74 voted in that election, according to data from the United States Census Bureau, making the senior voting block crucial to both candidates.
We’ve got a great story to tell,” said Clyburn about Democratic supporters and the party as a whole. “We should not be on the defensive, let’s go out and win this election.”
“Essentially, I think anybody should be held accountable for their actions. It doesn’t matter if you’re a world leader or just some ‘Joe Blow’ on the street. I think, especially if you’re a world leader. Yeah, I know that… there are technicalities and the argument can be made that [he may have to make a critical decision and he can’t be concerned about the legalities of it.] And I think that’s completely BS, to be honest, because at any point you need to be held accountable for your actions, especially if you are a world leader. So my short answer is yes, he should be, held accountable no matter what, no matter who you are.”
