Trump offers condolences to family, friends of Loeffler campaign staffer who died

President Trump on Saturday offered condolences to the family and friends of a campaign aide to Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) who died in a car crash Friday. 

Trump, while speaking at a campaign rally for Loeffler and fellow Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue, called 20-year-old Harrison Deal “an incredible, magnificent young man.” 

“I also want to express our profound condolences to the family of Harrison Deal, a young and brilliant campaign staffer for Senator Loeffler who tragically died in a terrible car accident yesterday,” Trump began. 

“I just want to say our prayers are with his friends and loved ones and we will keep his memory in our hearts,” the president continued. “He’s looking down right now and he’s very proud of Kelly and David, he’s very proud of all of us, so I just want to express my best wishes to the family and everybody.” 

A police spokeswoman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday that Deal died in a three-vehicle car crash on an interstate in Georgia that morning. 

Deal was also a family friend of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and a former intern for Perdue, according to Fox News.

The accident happened ahead of a planned Loeffler campaign event with Vice President Pence. Both Loeffler and Kemp decided not to attend the rally in Savannah upon receiving the news of Deal’s death. 

Loeffler expressed her condolences for Deal’s family on Twitter Friday, calling him a “beloved member” of her campaign team. 

“Harrison was a smart, bright, loving, loyal and outstanding young man,” she wrote in a tweet before asking her fellow Georgians to join her in praying for his family.

Kemp also issued a statement on Twitter, writing that Deal “was a person of deep faith, unmatched integrity, and incredible kindness. Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had.”

“Today, we lost a member of our ‘Kemp Strong’ family and words cannot express how much Harrison Deals’ life, love and support meant to us,” the governor wrote. 

Trump’s visit to Georgia Saturday comes as Loeffler and Perdue campaign ahead of two Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections, which will determine which party controls the Senate.