Former star NFL running back Todd Gurley joined President Donald Trump on stage at his rally in Georgia on Friday—with midterm elections just over two weeks away.
Gurley flew with Trump aboard Air Force One to Georgia and traveled in his motorcade to the rally in Dalton, Georgia, where the president invited him on stage toward the end of his remarks.
“Well, he was the NFL Rookie of the Year. He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns, and was the youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 career touchdowns. That means he is a good player,” Trump said.
Gurley, who played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college before going on to play for the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, greeted the crowd with a “Go Dawgs!”
“[I] want to thank President Trump today for the experience: being on Air Force One, welcoming me into the White House. Thank you so much. Thank you to the state of Georgia for everything y’all done to me and go Dawgs,” Gurley said.
Gurley is the latest legendary athlete the president has campaigned with as part of his efforts to mobilize voters for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump has also campaigned with baseball great Roger Clemens in Texas, boxing legend Mike Tyson in New York, former NFL Head Coach John Gruden and YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul in Ohio, and undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather in Arizona.
Trump also urged Georgians to get out and vote for Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins and GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson for governor against their Democrat opponents, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Democrat gubernatorial candidate former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D).
“It’s time to fire John Ossoff and elect Mike Collins, one of the most respected men in Washington,” the president said before inviting Collins on stage to speak.
“Listen, this thing, this race is sitting—it’s sitting right here. It’s right here in front of us. Early voting’s already started. All we got to do is reach out and grab this—grab it and hang on,” Collins said.
“And how do you do that? You go vote, and you make sure you take people with you to go vote,” he continued, adding he would be one more vote for the SAVE America Act to safeguard American elections if elected.
Trump called Jackson “a truly great patriot” and bashed Lance Bottoms.
“She’s an incompetent disaster who eliminated cash bail for vicious criminals, turned Atlanta into a deadly sanctuary city, and if she becomes governor, she will ruin your state,” Trump told the crowd.