Trump Endorses Whatley in North Carolina Senate Race
In a recent statement, former President Donald Trump praised Michael Whatley, the ex-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, calling him “fantastic.” He also took aim at Whatley’s opponent, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, suggesting Cooper was ineffective during his time in office.
On Monday, Trump shared his views on the North Carolina Senate contest via Truth Social.
“Michael Whatley is really great! Killing a murderer for free again and going up against a really bad ex-governor who was totally incompetent when it came to cleaning up major hurricanes. When I took office on January 20th, I had to get it done, and I did! I hope the great people of North Carolina remember how bad Roy Cooper was when he was governor, especially when it came to crime. Michael Whatley would make a great senator. He led the Republican Party to victory in 2024. Michael will be a great senator and one of our best!”
Trump has often criticized Cooper, labeling him as “too liberal” and ineffective on crime. Following the recovery efforts from Hurricane Helen in late 2024 and into 2025, Trump accused Cooper of hindering aid to Republican-leaning areas in western North Carolina, a charge Cooper denied. Most recently, Trump brought attention to Cooper’s crime policies, linking them to the tragic 2025 murder of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zalutka, which he claimed exemplified the nation’s lack of security.
Both Whatley and Cooper are vying for the North Carolina Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Tillis announced his retirement after opposing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and facing critiques from Trump for being “missing in action” during significant flooding in North Carolina.
This Senate race holds considerable weight for control of the Senate moving forward.
Currently, Republicans have a 53-45-2 majority in the U.S. Senate. However, two independents, Angus King (I-Maine) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), align with Democrats for organizational decisions, effectively raising the Democratic voting bloc to 47.
