Miami
Trump campaigns for Michael Whatley in North Carolina with crime and Senate control at the center
The president returned to the state to boost the Republican Senate candidate against Democrat Roy Cooper. NBC News reported that the race could help decide control of the chamber.
Donald Trump held a rally at an airport in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Wednesday to strengthen support for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley in a race that NBC News described as potentially crucial to determining control of the Senate during the second half of his term.
In a speech that lasted about an hour, Trump leaned on a law-and-order message and attacked Democrats over crime. NBC News reported that he described violent offenses in graphic terms and tied them to Democratic policies while aiming his criticism at Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor and Whatley’s opponent.
According to NBC News, an oversized screen at one point displayed mug shots of unnamed criminal suspects. Trump cast Whatley as the candidate who would make streets safer.
Todd Blanche, the U.S. attorney general, spoke before Trump took the stage. NBC News noted that it is unusual for the nation’s top law enforcement official to appear at a partisan political rally, highlighting a departure from long-standing post-Watergate norms.
The trip was Trump’s third visit to North Carolina since December in support of Whatley. The seat is currently held by Republican Thom Tillis, who is retiring and has been a Trump critic. NBC News reported that Democrats need a net gain of four seats in November to win the Senate majority.
NBC News also cited the latest Elon University poll of likely voters, which showed Cooper leading Whatley by 11 points. The outlet added that Whatley has tied himself closely to Trump in a state Trump carried in all three of his presidential campaigns, even as Cooper won the governorship in 2016 and 2020.
The network further reported that Whatley trails Cooper in name recognition and fundraising. Based on the latest campaign finance filings, Cooper’s campaign had nearly $21 million available as of June 30, compared with $3.5 million for Whatley.
Trump also addressed fuel prices at the rally. He argued that the spike in gasoline costs since the Feb. 28 attack launched by his administration and Israel on Iran would be temporary, seeking to reassure voters dealing with higher prices.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
