Donald Trump was privately stewing over Brian Kemp earlier this year — long before he unloaded on him at a rally in Atlanta this month — offended by the Georgia governor’s absence from campaign events and fundraisers and other perceived slights.

“What’s the deal with Brian Kemp?” Trump asked companions on a flight back to Florida from a fundraiser held in the swing state in April, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion granted anonymity to describe a private matter. After all, Trump said, he’d “helped him get elected” in a competitive 2018 primary.

Kemp had skipped the fundraiser and a Georgia rally weeks earlier. And just days before, Kemp’s wife, Marty, had told a local television reporter — in a clip that no longer appears on the news station’s website — that she planned to write in her husband’s name for president, rather than vote for Trump.

Trump asked an aide on the plane to print off a copy of the news report. He called the Georgia first lady’s comments “terrible,” and asked others on the flight, including Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, how he should respond.

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