Trump calls NBC story on him giving up on Perdue ‘a phony narrative’

Former President Trump disputed an NBC News story that indicated he had given up on his endorsed candidate, former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), in the state’s gubernatorial race, saying the piece is “a phony narrative.”

“The Kemp Campaign, together with Fake News NBC, has put out a phony narrative that I have given up on David Perdue in Georgia. That is completely FALSE!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“I am with David all the way because Brian Kemp was the WORST Governor in the Country on Election Integrity,” he added.

Trump was furious when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) resisted efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results. Trump endorsed Perdue for the governor’s race late last year. 

But NBC published a story on Thursday in which three Republicans who had spoken with the former president told NBC News that Trump had given up on Perdue, who is challenging incumbent Kemp.

A fourth source, characterized as someone close to Trump, said that the former president did not anticipate making additional appearances on behalf of the former senator in the state, with sources telling NBC News that Trump believed Perdue has done lackluster campaigning.

Speaking to NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard on Thursday, Perdue pushed against a Fox News poll released on Wednesday that showed the former senator with 28 percent of the support among Republican primary voters in the state compared to Kemp’s 60 percent. 

“Hell no, I’m not down 30 points,” he told Hillyard, before arguing that the polling was not reflective of those who would be voting in the primary. 

In a last-minute boost to Perdue’s campaign, he announced on Thursday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) would be campaigning with him on Friday.

Meanwhile, Kemp has the backing of former Vice President Mike Pence, who said on Monday that he would campaign for the Georgia governor. Kemp’s campaign confirmed to The Hill that ex-Pence aide Marc Short had also joined Kemp’s reelection campaign.