Former President Trump toured North Carolina on Monday in an effort to shore up support in the key battleground state where early voting is taking place.
“I want to start with a question: Are we better now than we were four years ago? I don't think so. Not even close. That's a big question,” President Trump told supporters in Greenville. .
Trump made three campaign stops in the state, each with distinctly different settings. His first event was a tour of storm damage from Hurricane Helen in Asheville, where he repeated misleading claims about the federal response and that he should return to Congress to pass more funding. He suggested that. His second stop was a traditional campaign rally in Greenville, and his third stop was a gathering of faith leaders in Concord.
Trump's remarks at the rally were similar to other events on the campaign trail in recent days. He attacked Vice President Harris as a “stupid person” and criticized the recent rise in prices and the surge in immigration. He touted proposed tax cuts on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits. He vowed to carry out mass deportations. He criticized “60 Minutes” for editing Harris' interview, which called Trump's claims “false.”
And Trump often meandered as he recounted stories from his first term in the White House and during his campaign.
After making a digression about watching the rocket launch on TV, President Trump addressed the media present and said, “Now those idiots over there are going to say, 'He's cognitively impaired.'” . “You know, I do this for 52 days, five, six, seven times a day, non-stop, and then if you say one wrong word, I don’t actually do it. I don't…They're sick people.”
North Carolina officials reported that more than 1 million residents have voted since early voting began in the state late last week.
President Trump acknowledged the enthusiasm in the state, even as many residents face hardship in the storm's aftermath.
“It's extremely important that we don't let this devastating hurricane take away your voice. You have to get out and vote,” Trump said in Asheville, where he visited damaged properties. He spoke while standing in front of the city, surrounded on both sides by local officials.
Mr. Trump leads Ms. Harris in the state by about 1 percentage point, according to an average of North Carolina Decision Desk Headquarters and The Hill polls. Washington Post/Shah School The poll will be released on Monday It showed that Mr. Trump leads Ms. Harris by 3 percentage points among likely voters.
North Carolina has been a battleground since the 2008 cycle, when former President Barack Obama narrowly won the state. But Democrats have not been able to win the state since then, including in 2020, when Trump won the state over President Biden by about 74,000 votes.
