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Trump and Whatley’s Unhinged Speech Shows Just How Out of Touch the GOP is in North Carolina
Washington, D.C. – After a Wednesday primetime address that raised more questions than it answered, President Trump doubled down tonight in Rocky Mount, North Carolina during a campaign event for Michael Whatley, his hand-picked candidate for Senate. The visit came as families across the state continue to face rising grocery prices, higher energy costs, and increasing monthly expenses – issues left largely unaddressed by the message delivered on stage. Trump and Whatley avoided the everyday challenges facing North Carolinians, instead choosing to focus their energies on peddling falsehoods that distort inflation data and mislead on Helene recovery progress.
Trump’s visit comes as his popularity reaches record lows in the state, with 57 percent of North Carolinians saying they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.
“This rally was totally unhinged and completely detached from reality,” said Christyna Thompson, Press Secretary for Senate Majority PAC. “People are just trying to afford groceries, keep the lights on, and recover from a devastating hurricane – but Trump and Whatley used this as an opportunity to pat themselves on the back. North Carolinians can feel that disconnect, which is probably why Whatley is struggling to connect with voters on the campaign trail on the rare occasions he’s in the state.”
Before Trump took the stage, Whatley used his moment in the spotlight to introduce himself to voters unfamiliar with his long career as a DC lobbyist and MAGA loyalist. While Whatley leaned on Trump to cast him as a champion for North Carolina, his actual record tells a very different story.
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While North Carolina communities waited for Hurricane Helene relief, Whatley claimed influence and access – but delivered little and showed up even less. After being tapped for a president-directed role on Hurricane Helene recovery, Michael Whatley claimed his priority was “getting relief into counties,” and said he was “very close to the president,” boasting that he could “pick up the phone and call any of our Cabinet secretaries” to help North Carolina. Despite his assurances, he has been described as “rarely, if ever,” present in local communities. Key recovery efforts stalled under his watch, with federal relief reaching only a fraction of what was needed nearly a year after the storm. Even as state and local officials raised alarms about delays and a “tone-deaf” federal approach to aid, Whatley has remained largely absent and ineffective in using his role to deliver real relief.
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Whatley has praised Trump’s tariff agenda even as it drives costs for North Carolina families. Whatley defended Donald Trump’s toxic tariffs, even claiming that the economy is poised to “take off.” That rosy assessment clashes with what people actually believe – and the polling backs it up: 57 percent of North Carolinians disapprove of Republicans’ handling of the economy. Despite broad opposition and reports that tariffs stand to spike prices for North Carolina consumers, Whatley continues to champion policies that push higher costs that leave people paying more. Businesses have been forced to brace for price spikes and supply disruptions, and farmers and food sellers have warned that tariffs have made holiday meals more expensive – all as families face higher energy bills, rising rents, and grocery prices up more than 17 percent since 2022.
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Rather than serving as a champion for North Carolina, Whatley’s career reflects a pattern of financial self-interest and special-interest loyalty. A longtime Washington insider and former energy lobbyist, he has repeatedly aligned himself with corporate interests while North Carolina families pay the price. He has disclosed up to $445,000 in Duke Energy stock even as the utility company has repeatedly raised rates on customers and pursued new hikes. He worked for fossil-fuel–backed groups that fought clean air protections, representing oil and gas interests while North Carolinians pay more to heat their homes. He also quietly accepted maximum donations from executives at a North Carolina company accused of ripping off veterans, part of a pattern that shows whose side Whatley’s really been on. Multiple lawsuits from veterans accuse the company of exploiting them, falsifying claim information, and violating federal regulations.
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