Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was one of the few conservative leaders invited to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, this week. He used the platform to demand the U.S. federal government secure the American border.
Kemp attended a panel discussion on Tuesday moderated by Norway’s foreign minister Borge Brende. Other U.S. politicians present included Democrats Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Chris Coons (D-DE). Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who recently quit the Democratic Party, was also present.
Many conservatives criticized Kemp for attending the globalist conference, but he appears to have planned on pushing for policies that could benefit his constituents in the Peach State. The governor described himself as a “Georgia redneck going to Davos” before he left for the elite conference.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at World Economic Forum Davos talking about closing the border, the fentanyl crisis & keeping the country open after lockdown pressure from both parties.
What do you think about his attendance? pic.twitter.com/84tv2eT4qx
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) January 17, 2023
Kemp described his recent electoral win over two-time losing Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as a validation of his support for “pro-worker economic policies” in Georgia. He also offered sharp criticism for world leaders who pressed for lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kemp told the panel: “We proved that we were fighting for people. We were fighting for election security. We were fighting for people to have a good paying job, And to survive, to live life to fight another day economically, in our state. We’ve fought for our people by giving them a billion dollars of their tax money back to help them fight through 40-year high inflation because in my opinion a lot of bad policies in Washington, DC, and the voters of my state, the great state of Georgia, certainly responded to that.”
Brende also asked Kemp to discuss the partisan divide affecting America.
Kemp said, “If there’s gridlock in Washington, DC, one thing you can count on is the stability and a great economy, a great business environment in the state of Georgia.”
He discussed how his state is being deeply affected by the flood of deadly fentanyl coming into the U.S. due to Joe Biden’s open border policies. He said that even though Georgia will persevere, he is calling on Congress to step up to close and secure the border.
Kemp said Georgia and other states are doing all they can to deal with gang violence, human trafficking, and drug overdoses. However, he insisted that the primary obligation to protect Americans from the problems stemming from border insecurity lies with Washington.
He said, “I believe much could be solved and I think there will be broad bipartisan support in the meantime, while you’re working on these things to secure the dang border.”
