‘I wanted him to be the guy’: Trump stumps for Whatley, GOP slate as voting in NC gets underway

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Terry Holyfield, a retired factory worker from Burlington, once drove over four hours to see President Donald Trump speak. She said she’s seen him at least 10 times, and would drive even further to see him if she could. 

On Tuesday, she drove over two hours to see him in Greenville, and said she’s pleased with the Trump administration’s handling of immigration and border security. 

Like many other North Carolinians, she’s not happy with the cost of living as food and fuel costs continue to rise. But when voters cast their ballots on Nov. 3, Holyfield said she still plans to vote for Republicans. 

“Things cost too much, but I’m voting straight red down the ticket to lower them,” she said. 

In a recent poll from Elon University, economic issues and the cost of living were the top issues voters across the board identified as most important on their minds as they head to the polls on Nov. 3. 

But this rally wasn’t about winning over undecided voters. It was about making sure reliable GOP voters like Holyfield actually turn out in this election. 

To do that, GOP candidates focused on the issues that have motivated their base for years — crime, COVID, immigration, transgender people and election security – as well as Trump’s repeated promise of a $5000 check for every adult if Republicans win. 

In front of a crowd of around 1,000 GOP loyalists, Trump joined Republican candidates at the Pitt-Greenville Airport for a rally to encourage supporters to support the Republican slate Nov. 3. 

Trump said his administration plans to give every American $5,000 if Republicans take the U.S. House and Senate, a claim he’s made at other rallies across the country despite skepticism, even from his supporters.  

“If the Democrats win, you will have a 1929-style economic depression without question,” he said. “If the Republicans win, you will each have $5,000 in your pocket, an economic success for our country like we have never ever seen before.”

“If we lose, you get nothing,” Trump added.

Outside experts have said the proposal would cost the country $1.2 trillion on top of the current $40 trillion federal debt. But the president insisted his tariffs — which are largely paid for by American consumers – would pay for it, although experts say tariff revenue would fall far short.

Trump also touted the economy, but downplayed high fuel costs in his speech amid a highly unpopular war. 

“This is a very small price to pay for keeping a nuclear weapon away from the world’s number-one state sponsor,” he said. 

During the rally, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley repeated similar points he’s made on the campaign trail. He said he will work with President Trump, while advocating for tax cuts and lower healthcare costs. 

But Whatley did not mention the cost of living, other than to blame opponent Roy Cooper’s record as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic for contributing to the state’s affordability crisis. 

“Roy Cooper has stood in your way by raising costs,” he said. 

Whatley currently trails Cooper by 14 percentage points according to a WRAL/WSOC poll, a margin that’s changed little since the primary election in March. 

Democrats see opening in NC as Whatley campaign pauses ads

Whatley’s campaign’s failure to move the polls led two GOP PACs to pull their ad buys in NC at the beginning of October. However, CNN reported Tuesday that a Trump-associated PAC, Securing American Greatness, contributed $2.2 million to Whatley’s cause in the past week. 

Ahead of the rally, Sen. Kandie Smith, D-Pitt, held a press conference and pushed back on Whatley’s views on affordability. 

“[Whatley] has repeatedly said we need to ‘stay the course’ in Iran…He even downplayed record gas prices and said ‘we’re not getting gouged’ at the pump,” she said. “I don’t know who believes that.”

Whatley and Trump also warned that a vote for Democrats would lead to a socialist or communist takeover of American government. That argument resonated with Jessie Gotti, who drove about 75 miles from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to attend his first Trump rally.

Gotti, who works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said his vote is shaped by his concerns about the direction of the Democratic Party.

“I’m concerned that the DSA movement is progressing so steadily,” he said, referring to Democratic Socialists of America. He said he was worried about the movement’s agenda and the policies its supporters want to advance.

Gotti said those concerns make it important for people to pay attention to elections and participate in the political process.

“If we don’t stand up now, the landscape will be completely different,” he said. “But what are we leaving if we do nothing?”