Trump rallies in key Senate race, calls North Carolina ‘one of the worst in the whole nation’

GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA: President Donald Trump on Wednesday, September 16, declared North Carolina “one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation” during a rally in Gastonia, where he campaigned for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump repeatedly focused on crime during his address and attacked Democratic candidate Roy Cooper, while also criticizing his handling of Hurricane Helene.

The rally marked Trump’s first campaign trip since the Republican midterm convention and came as Republicans face a closely watched Senate race that could affect control of Congress in November.

Trump blames Roy Cooper for North Carolina crime

Trump said North Carolina used to be an “incredible and beautiful” state and attributed the state’s decline to Cooper, whom he called a “murderer-protector.”

Trump connected the former governor to his broader criticism of crime in the state, referring to the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. “I watched that so many times,” Trump said regarding footage of the incident.

Trump has previously blamed Cooper for the release of DeCarlos Brown Jr, the man charged in Zarutska’s killing. However, North Carolina corrections officials have said Brown served his sentence and was not released early.

At the rally, Trump said the state’s reputation had changed under Cooper.

“It was like North Carolina, it was beautiful, it was apple pie, right? And now it's one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation. And it all started with Cooper. And you have a lousy governor right now too, but it started. It started with Cooper.”

Trump also returned to Hurricane Helene, which struck North Carolina in September 2024. He criticized Cooper’s response to the disaster while recalling his own visit to the state after the storm.

“I remember Cooper was your governor when you had Helene,” he said. “They call it the biggest water hurricane, and it was brutal. I was here the following day; you remember that? But Cooper did nothing. He did nothing… It was one of the worst hurricanes.”

North Carolina recorded 107 storm-related fatalities from Hurricane Helene as of June 2025, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump campaigns for Michael Whatley in Senate race

Trump rallied to support Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee challenging Cooper for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

The race is considered significant because Republicans hold only a narrow majority in the Senate, making several closely contested races important to determining control of the chamber after the November midterms.

North Carolina would ordinarily be a favorable state for Republicans in a Senate contest.

The state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, and Trump carried North Carolina in the past three presidential elections.

But the 2026 contest has drawn heightened attention as Cooper, who served as governor and has won statewide elections six times, campaigns against Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chair.

Republican strategist Doug Heye also said he had expected the Senate contest to be difficult for Republicans.

The economy has also emerged as a central issue in the campaign.

Rising prices for household necessities, including gasoline and groceries, have contributed to concerns about affordability among North Carolina voters.