Republican Rep. Mike Collins offered a behind-the-scenes look at his latest conversation with President Donald Trump and detailed his role in preparing Georgia's infrastructure for a multibillion-dollar manufacturing investment during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, exactly one week before voters decide one of the nation's closely watched Senate contests.
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voters → offer → contests
Collins, a trucking company owner challenging Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, said he spoke privately with Trump following Saturday's rally in Perry, Georgia, where the president announced a $4.2 billion investment by German automaker Audi.
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president → challenge → Audi
The Georgia congressman described a president eager to hear feedback from those around him and said he personally relayed what he had observed while meeting rallygoers.
"He always wants to know what you think.
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you → describe → what
He wants to know what everybody thinks," Collins told Fox News Digital.
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Collins → want → Digital
"And I think that's just part of his personality."
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that → think → personality
Collins said he made a point of asking attendees whether they had ever been to a Trump rally before.
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they → say → rally
"Well over half of the people that were at that event, it was their first time ever attending a Trump rally," Collins said, describing his own conversations with supporters.
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Collins → attend → supporters
The Republican also revealed that Trump helped amplify a new digital advertisement from his Senate campaign focused on the Laken Riley Act, legislation Collins championed in Congress.
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Collins → reveal → Congress
"When he saw the ad, he retweeted it out there and of course, it has exploded with over 7 million views," Collins said.
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Collins → see → views
The president's involvement comes as Collins seeks to unseat Ossoff in the final days before the Nov. 3 election.
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Collins → come → election
Collins also elaborated on his involvement in improvements to the Port of Brunswick, which he credits with helping position Georgia to attract Audi's newly announced manufacturing investment.
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he → elaborate → investment
Trump announced Saturday that Audi would invest $4.2 billion in a new facility in the Macon area, with plans to manufacture approximately 200,000 vehicles annually.
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Audi → announce → vehicles
Collins said that after becoming chairman of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee in 2025, he made the Port of Brunswick one of his first priorities.
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Port → say → priorities
"Got down there and, lo and behold, that thing has not been fully dredged in over 10 years," Collins said.
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Collins → get → years
"Took me about 3 months, got the money, got it dredged.
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it → take → money
Now it is fully dredged."
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it → dredge → ?
According to Collins, insufficient channel depth had previously limited the amount of cargo vessels could transport through the port.
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vessels → accord → port
He argued that improving the port's capacity helped make Georgia more attractive to automakers looking to manufacture and export vehicles.
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Georgia → argue → vehicles
"One of the reasons that they picked Georgia was because that port is ready to go down there," Collins said.
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Collins → pick → Georgia
The Audi announcement has become a point of contention in the Senate campaign.
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announcement → become → campaign
Ossoff has called for more details about the project, while Collins has pointed to his work on port infrastructure as evidence of his economic development record.
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Collins → call → record
The interview also turned personal when Collins was asked about reports concerning Ossoff's campaign spending on a Hollywood makeup artist.
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Collins → turn → artist
The Washington Times reported Sept. 26 that Ossoff's campaign had spent nearly $3,000 on hair and makeup during the election cycle, more than any other Senate candidate at the time.
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campaign → report → time
The outlet cited Federal Election Commission records showing payments to Georgia makeup artist Stephanie Ponder.
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outlet → cite → Ponder
Asked whether he personally wears makeup on the campaign trail, Collins responded with a joke.
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Collins → ask → joke
"The answer is no, I don't use makeup," Collins said.
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Collins → use → makeup
"Some people might want to suggest I put a bag over my head."
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I → want → head
Collins then said political advisers had deliberately changed how Ossoff looks and speaks.
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Ossoff → say → ?
"I can't help it that they hired Pee-wee Herman's makeup artist," Collins said.
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Collins → help → artist
The comments followed Trump's own references to the fictional character while criticizing Ossoff at Saturday's rally.
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comments → follow → rally
Collins also claimed that Ossoff is positioning himself for a potential 2028 presidential campaign, an allegation he framed as his own interpretation of the senator's voting record, endorsements and fundraising.
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he → claim → record
Ossoff has campaigned on his work in the Senate, including health care, affordability and economic issues, while criticizing Collins' support for Trump's policies.
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Ossoff → campaign → policies
When asked whether he disagrees with Trump on any issue, Collins pointed to the timing of a potential change involving off-road diesel fuel.
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Collins → ask → fuel
"Probably the only thing I would have, I would have jumped on the off-road diesel quicker to run in trucks," Collins said.
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Collins → have → trucks
The trucking company owner argued that allowing additional diesel supplies into the transportation market sooner could help reduce prices.
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allowing → argue → prices
He also predicted that consumers would see lower fuel prices following the election.
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consumers → predict → election
"You're gonna see prices come down.
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prices → go → ?
It's amazing what election day is gonna do," Collins said.
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Collins → go → what
The prediction comes as rising energy costs remain a major issue in the Senate race.
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costs → come → race
Collins defended Trump's broader economic agenda, arguing that lower taxes, deregulation and domestic manufacturing investment would help households struggling with everyday expenses.
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taxes → defend → expenses
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
