Donald Trump heads to Dalton with Ivanka for Senate runoff rally after leaked phone call

Donald Trump has left the White House with Ivanka to head to Dalton for a Senate runoff rally, amid calls for him to be investigated over the leaked phone call where he demanded the Georgia Secretary of State ‘find’ votes to overturn the presidential election.

The president was seen walking across the South Lawn Monday night with his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump to board Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and then on to Dalton for Monday night’s rally. 

The rally marks the last-ditch attempt from Republicans to drum up votes for GOP candidates Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Senate runoff race, which ultimately decides which party takes control of the Senate.

It comes hours after President-elect Joe Biden held a rival campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday afternoon to try to give a final campaign boost to the Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.  

Doubts had been raised earlier Monday over whether Trump would still attend Monday’s rally, as calls mount for a probe into his weekend phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Raffensperger leaked Saturday’s phone call and the conversation was first released by the Washington Post Sunday, appearing to show the president desperately trying to pressure the official to ‘find’ votes to turn the state red. 

‘All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,’ Trump says on the call. ‘There’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you’ve recalculated.’   

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Monday he was ready to launch an investigation into ‘felony wrongdoing’ in relation to Trump’s demands and two House Democrats have written to FBI Director Chris Wray calling for the agency to launch an investigation. 

Meanwhile Republicans have voiced concerns that his actions may have scuppered his own party’s chances of taking the Senate. 

It comes as fears were already growing within the Republican party that Trump was turning off voters after he claimed the runoffs were ‘illegal’ Saturday.    

Trump greeted supporters on the lawn who waved American flags as he headed toward Marine One. 

While Ivanka flashed a smile, the president wore a solemn expression as he ascended the steps and turned to wave goodbye to his fans. 

Trump had vowed Saturday to travel to Georgia Monday to support the GOP candidates ahead of Tuesday’s crucial senate runoff election.  

GOP candidates Perdue and Loeffler are up against Democrats Warnock and Ossoff in the January 5 vote.  

If the Democrats win both senate seats, it will create a 50/50 split in the Senate, and give incoming Vice President Kamala Harris the deciding vote – leaving Democrats in control of the White House, House and Senate, and Trump’s MAGA legacy in tatters. 

Democrats reportedly hold an edge in early, in-person voting in the run-off races with Fox News reporting that 2.8 million Georgians have already cast ballots and participation has so far been higher in Democratic Congressional districts. 

In a rage over the leaked phone call, Trump was reportedly floating the idea of pulling out of Monday’s rally but was persuaded to go ahead.