Trump Rallies in North Carolina for Whatley as Cooper Holds Senate Lead and Early Voting Surges

President Donald Trump campaigned Tuesday night in Greenville, North Carolina, for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley and two congressional candidates in competitive districts, two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport was Trump's second visit to North Carolina in as many months, following a September event in Gastonia, Whatley's hometown, according to The News & Observer. Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes and wrapped up just after 9:30 p.m., the newspaper and ABC11 reported.

The Senate race

Whatley, 58, a former chairman of both the North Carolina Republican Party and the Republican National Committee, is running against former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, for the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Cooper has led every poll since the two entered the race in July 2025, The News & Observer reported. An Elon University poll released this week showed Cooper ahead by 13 points.

Trump told the crowd that Whatley was his choice from the start. "You know, I'm the one who said, Michael, I want you to run for Senate. I'm the one who got him into this ... I hope it works," he said, according to ABC11. He urged supporters to treat the election as a referendum on his own record. "Pretend I'm on the ballot because in a way, I am on the ballot because they want to do away with all of the tremendous things we've done -- the tax cuts, the border," Trump said.

Both Trump and Whatley focused heavily on crime and attacked Cooper over a 2021 court settlement that allowed the early release of about 3,500 prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans have blamed Cooper for the August 2025 killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte by DeCarlos Brown, whose name appeared on the list of released prisoners. The News & Observer reported that prison officials have repeatedly said Brown had already served his full sentence before the settlement was complete, and it described the Republican claim as a false narrative.

A Cooper campaign spokesperson told ABC11 that "independent fact-checkers have called these attacks false" and said Whatley "is getting desperate."

Whatley told the crowd he was likely to become the 51st Republican senator. Polling shows him trailing by double digits, The News & Observer reported.

Gas prices and promises

Trump said gas prices would fall once the war with Iran ends. "As soon as the war ends, and it'll end one way or the other very quickly, oil is going to drop like a rock," he said, according to The News & Observer. He also repeated a line from his September visit: "This is a very small price to pay for keeping a nuclear weapon away from the world's number one state sponsor of terror." One of several protesters who interrupted the rally shouted, "Gas is too expensive," ABC11 reported.

Trump told the crowd that his administration had delivered $1 billion in cash settlements to veterans and families with claims related to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, and said he would direct the Justice Department to settle remaining legitimate claims if Republicans win the House and Senate. "If we don't win, there's no money," Trump said. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein responded on social media: "Real leaders fight for the people, not for power. To condition doing the right thing by sick North Carolinians on who wins the election is foul."

Trump also promised each adult citizen $5,000, but only if Republicans win the midterms, according to The News & Observer. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on stage to announce an investment by the company Sibelco in quartz manufacturing to support semiconductor production in North Carolina, which he described as "hundreds of millions of dollars," ABC11 reported.

The House races

Trump brought 1st District candidate Laurie Buckhout and 11th District candidate Jennifer Balkcom on stage and said House Speaker Mike Johnson had asked him to give them "a special callout tonight because they're going to have close races."

Buckhout, a Republican from Edenton, is challenging Democratic Rep. Don Davis in a rematch of 2024 in the 1st District, which the Republican-controlled General Assembly redrew last year to be more favorable to Republicans. On Tuesday, the University of Virginia's Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted the district's rating to "leans Democrat," The News & Observer reported. In the 11th District, Balkcom, a state representative, faces Democrat Jamie Ager, a farmer, for the seat held by Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who announced in August that he would not seek re-election following a House ethics investigation, ABC11 reported. The Cook Political Report rates both House races as toss-ups.

Early voting

The rally came as North Carolina voters cast early ballots at a pace well ahead of the 2022 midterms. Through Sunday, 525,970 ballots had been cast statewide, up more than 37 percent from the same point four years ago, ABC11 reported. "These numbers are really set to break some records," said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College.

In-person early voting in North Carolina runs through 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the State Board of Elections.

State Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons acknowledged recent polls showing trouble for Republicans and said the rally was meant to turn out the party's core supporters, ABC11 reported. The News & Observer cited the Elon poll finding that 43 percent of registered voters said a Trump endorsement would make them less likely to support a candidate, compared with 25 percent who said it would make them more likely.

Trump said he plans to return to North Carolina before Election Day.