Atlanta, Georgia, USA –

U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump warned of dire consequences for the country if the other was reelected to a second term in the White House as they scored huge Super Tuesday victories on Saturday. Georgia held dueling rallies that would allow them to advance to the general election. -But there will definitely be a rematch this November.

The state is a key battleground in 2020 — so close four years ago that Trump was sued here for asking election officials to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden’s victory. Both parties are gearing up for another tight race in the state this year.

Biden began speaking at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, noting that Trump was on the other side of the state from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

“It tells you a lot about the people he’s surrounding himself with,” Biden said to applause. Biden noted that Trump had hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has overturned the country’s democratic system, at his Florida club the day before.

“I believe him when he says he wants to be a dictator,” Biden said of Trump. “Our freedoms are actually on the ballot this November.”

Biden held the rally at Atlanta’s Pullman Courtyard, a 27-acre arts and entertainment venue backed by Collective PAC, Latino Victory Fund and AAPI Victory Fund, three political groups representing Black people. , Latino and Asian American and Pacific Island voters. The groups announced a commitment of $30 million to mobilize voters for Biden.

Trump, meanwhile, is expected to lash out at Biden on the border and blame him for the death last month of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. A Venezuelan immigrant who entered the United States illegally has been arrested and charged with murder. Trump hosted Riley’s family at a rally in Greene’s hometown of Rome.

Trump is expected to say: “What Joe Biden is doing at our border is a crime against humanity.”

Before the rally, Biden expressed regret for using the word “illegal” to describe Riley’s suspected killer during his State of the Union address.

Trump’s rally began by asking attendees to stand in support of the hundreds of people jailed for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when thousands of pro-Trump supporters tried to stop the vote count. Overturning the 2020 Presidential Electoral College Vote.

The fiery rhetoric foreshadows a tough eight months of campaigning in the state.

“We are a true battleground state right now,” said U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, an Atlanta Democrat who also serves as state party chair.

Georgia, once a Republican stronghold, now faces a race to victory for both Biden and Trump, and faces many obstacles along the way.

“There are a lot of good reasons why Biden’s approval numbers are low, and we can certainly talk about that. So that makes it absolutely winnable for Trump,” Gov. Brian Kemp said at a recent forum sponsored by Punchbowl News express. “I also thought he might lose the game. I think it’s a lot tougher than people realize.”

Biden’s lead in 2020 was about a quarter of a percentage point. Warnock won the 2022 Senate runoff election by 3 percentage points. Kemp was elected with a 1.5 percentage point margin in 2018, but his advantage expanded to 7.5 percentage points when he was re-elected in 2022, which was a blowout in this swing state.

In every election, Democrats have held a broad advantage in the heart of metro Atlanta, Biden’s destination on Saturday. Democrats also performed well in Columbus and Savannah, as well as in a handful of majority-Black rural counties. But Republicans dominate in other rural areas, small towns and the smallest cities, such as Rome.

At Trump’s rally on Saturday, more than 3,000 people packed the event center to hear the former president speak. His campaign distributed signs featuring Laken Riley.

Candace Duvall from Hampton, Georgia, wore a white T-shirt with the words “Trump 2024” printed on it and held a gold wallet with the word “Trump” printed on it. A pair of earrings, one of which read “Never Surrender,” while the other featured a photo of Trump, declaring that her candidate “will save this country.”

She accused Biden of mispronounced Riley’s name during Thursday’s State of the Union address.

But the State of the Union address, which has also been criticized by Republicans, has also become a source of motivation for Biden, who has publicly challenged Trump’s commitment to democracy, American allies, the middle class and women’s reproductive rights.

Supporters believed his energetic performance had eased concerns about the 81-year-old. Biden accused Trump, 77, of having “the oldest ideas” as the former president promised a return to the White House would bring revenge on his opponents.us