Democrat GA State Rep. Vernon Jones surprised his party this week by endorsing President Trump. He spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his bold move being the first state elected Democratic official in Georgia to back the Republican’s bid for a second term:

“A philosopher once said, ‘One courageous man in the crowd is a majority.’ I’ve got the courage to express my convictions. I believe that Donald Trump is the best person to lead this country going forward.”

 

A Republican supporter had this to say about the decision by Jones to endorse President Trump: “Vernon has been a Trump fan for a while. Glad to see him putting Georgia first over party.”

Jones received backlash for his decision to endorse the president when most in his party are following the party line with Biden for president. State Democratic officials bashed Jones calling him an “embarrassment” and a “narcissist.”

State Sen. Nikema Williams, the chairwoman of the state party had this to say about Jones:

“Never has that been clearer than this moment, when he chose to stand with the racist president who has made an all-out assault on black Americans, who has tried to rip away American health care and who has failed our country in its greatest time of need,”

Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that President Trump is helping African-Americans in many ways:

“It’s very simple to me. President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges, and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign.”

“There are a lot of African Americans who clearly see and appreciate he’s doing something that’s never been done before. When you look at the unemployment rates among black Americans before the pandemic, they were at historic lows. That’s just a fact.”