Lola Green, Atlanta mother: “It’s hurtful as a parent, it’s hurtful as a Georgian.”
Ahead of Donald Trump descending on Georgia yesterday, DPG Chair Charlie Bailey, State Rep. Bryce Berry, and a mother from Atlanta held a press conference to underscore the failures of Trump’s economic policies and how his broken promises have stuck Georgians with paying higher costs while all three GOP U.S. Senate candidates and all the GOP Governor candidates support his agenda every step of the way.
While Georgians suffer, GOP U.S. Senate candidates “MAGA warrior” Buddy Carter, MAGA extremist Mike Collins, and failed and fired former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley have all stood behind Trump’s agenda that is wrecking Georgia’s economy:
- Buddy Carter praised Trump for his tariffs and told Georgians to “be ready” for some “short-term pain.”
- Mike Collins told Georgians that “Trump’s tariff strategy works” despite the effects they’re having on hardworking families.
- Derek Dooley claimed that “we’ve gotten some great deals out of these tariffs” even as Georgians suffer from higher prices.
See below for what Georgians are watching and reading on Trump’s visit:
- [WSB-TV] Georgia Democrats, they blame the President for rising prices, tariffs, unemployment and layoffs.
- [CHARLIE BAILEY, DPG CHAIR] Just this month, we got a jobs report, right? Georgia had the highest number of layoffs of any state in the country and the highest monthly layoffs [for a January] since 2009. This is what Donald Trump and the Republican betrayal of working people have brought.
- [WSB-TV] Democrats say that polling shows most people in Georgia are not happy with the way the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill is affecting their lives.
ANF:
- [WANF] That’s when we heard from Democrats and parents who are not happy with how things are playing out […] Here in the State Senate, well the chamber was lightly attended today.
- That’s when we heard from Lola Green, a disabled veteran and mother of a child with autism, who says families that she’s speaking with as well as her own are feeling the pressure.
- She adds that lawmakers are skipping important legislative days, leaving working families without the support that they need in order to address the affordability crisis.
- [LOLA GREEN, ATLANTA MOTHER] Tale as old as time. The people at the bottom get hit the most. I am one of those people that are at the bottom and I am getting hit the most.
- [STATE REP. BRYCE BERRY] He is coming here to lie, he is coming to gaslight, he is coming here to portray a version of the truth that does not exist.
The Atlanta Voice: ‘He’s coming here to lie’: Democratic Party of Georgia welcomes Trump to Peach State
By Donnell Suggs | February 19, 2026
KEY EXCERPTS:
- Lola Green, a disabled United Air Force veteran, mother, and Atlanta resident, stepped to the podium inside the Democratic Party of Georgia office in the IBEW building. Green fought back tears as she explained some of the hardships she has had to suffer while raising an autistic 10-year-old son in this economy.
- “The state of affairs with families is defeated,” Green said. She works with Urban Indigo, an Atlanta-based organization that helps families with neurodivergent and neurotypical children. She said under the Trump Administration, the work has turned to helping families afford groceries, pay utilities, afford childcare, and make ends meet.
- “It’s hurtful as a parent, it’s hurtful as a Georgian,” she said.
- Green said Georgians need a senator who will challenge the Trump administration on behalf of his or her constituents. “Helping parents in Georgia doesn’t look like cutting a billion dollars in program funding. The people at the bottom get hit the most. My community is getting hit the most.”
- The Democratic Party of Georgia hosted a press conference to address United States President Donald J. Trump’s trip to Georgia on Thursday, Feb. 19. […]
- Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey and State Rep. Bryce Berry (D-56) addressed the media this morning. During Bailey’s 10 minutes behind the podium, he used the word “fools” to refer to Republicans who will be looking forward to welcoming the president.
- “I find it interesting. I think it’s going to be bad for anyone running as a republican,” Bailey said. “I’m told he’s going to lecture to the people of Georgia about how he’s done wonderful things for them, and lowered their prices, and that this economy is just amazing.
- “Here’s the truth: what Donald Trump will display today is what he displays every day, and that he cares way more about himself than he does any person in this country, particularly hard-working Georgians.”
- Bailey said Trump’s economy has only helped big corporations and Trump’s family and friends. The most recent job report numbers have Georgia’s unemployment numbers higher than last month and late last year. “It’s the highest monthly layoffs since 2009, I was still in law school, and that’s a long time ago,” Bailey said. “This is what Donald Trump and the Republican betrayal of working people has brought us” […]