Speaking to a packed hangar at Dalton Municipal Airport on Friday, President Donald Trump touched on a host of topics, but repeatedly returned to one target: U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Ossoff, a Democratic incumbent being challenged in this November’s election by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, drew Trump’s ire over his policies surrounding immigration, transgender rights and gun control.
Throughout Trump’s remarks, which lasted for roughly two hours, he referred to Ossoff as “Pee-wee Herman,” pointing out what he said was Ossoff’s resemblance to the late actor Paul Reubens. But Trump’s objections to Ossoff went well beyond his appearance.
Trump blamed what he called Ossoff’s “open border” policies for the death of Laken Riley, the Augusta University student murdered in February 2024 by Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who entered the United States illegally.
“That monster was set loose by the cruel open border policies of John Ossoff,” Trump said, going on to say, “Laken Riley paid the price for his stupidity.”