Former Republican National Committee chair and U.S. Senate Republican primary candidate Michael Whatley talks with reporters before a rally featuring President Donald Trump at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Whatley was endorsed by Trump in July.
tlong@newsobserver.com
ROCKY MOUNT
President Donald Trump is giving a speech in Eastern North Carolina. Check back here for updates from the rally.
9:27 p.m. Trump attacks Biden administration, labels the U.S. ‘the hottest country on earth’
Trump made verbal attacks against former President Joe Biden, calling him “stupid,” while talking about the economy.
He repeated a line he said in his address to the nation Wednesday night, that “one year ago our country was dead, but now we’re the hottest country on earth.”
He also applauded himself for renaming the Affordable Care Act, the “unaffordable care act,” labeling news outlets, “fake news” and calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren, “Pocahontas,” a name some Native Americans consider a slur.
His repetition of his nickname for Warren comes just one day after he signed into law a policy that gives full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, something the tribe has fought for for 137 years.
Trump continued to speak about his executive order to lower prescription costs.
“They’ve been unbelievable, but they do love our country, and I probably think the insurance company guys love our country,” Trump said. “They just thought they were dealing with stupid people. So you can’t really blame them.”
Trump is surrounded by supporters who are holding signs that say, “lower prices,” “bigger paychecks” and wearing shirts with phrases like “Jesus trained.”
The crowd is dressed in Make America Great Again hats and wearing American flags.
One man, earlier in the evening, was seen eating popcorn out of a red and white striped popcorn box.
9:04 p.m. Trump takes aim at former Gov. Roy Cooper
President Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters at Rocky Mount that he’s there to “celebrate 11 incredible months.”
He immediately began sharing statistics on how he bolstered North Carolinians’ jobs and helped victims of Helene, the devastating 2024 storm that ravaged Western North Carolina.
“When I took office, we really knocked the hell out of it,” Trump said. “Remember, as soon as I took office, I got in on Jan. 20, and the first thing I did was make North Carolina calls, and we did a hell of a job.”
Trump then took aim at former Gov. Roy Cooper, now a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Trump endorsed former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley, in July, for the job.
He credited Whatley with helping him win the presidency.
“You’ve got to get Michael Whatley,” Trump said. “It’s going to be so important. He was so great. Don’t forget I took Michael Whatley and put him as the head of the party because he was so great. We won this thing all three times, and it was like a rock.”
Trump also discussed violent crime in North Carolina, including the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian immigrant who was killed on a bus in Charlotte. He did not use her name, however.
He also discussed the state of the economy, that he plans to give military personnel $1,776 in a bonus, and his announcement earlier Friday that he is reducing prescription drug costs, through a program called TrumpRX that allows patients to purchase pharmaceuticals directly from companies without using insurance.
8:59 p.m. Trump begins speech in North Carolina
President Donald Trump has arrived at the Rocky Mount Event Center.
“God Bless the USA” is playing as he approaches the microphone.
“This was just a quick stop we made,” Trump said. “Let’s go to North Carolina. We want to go to North Carolina.”
Trump is expected to talk about the economy and immigration.
8:53 p.m. Labor secretary takes stage
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer took the stage to discuss President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
“It’s fitting that we’re here in the heart of America’s advanced manufacturing,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “President Trump has been laser focused on building the golden age of the American industry. For too long, Washington politicians let critical sectors of our economy, the building blocks of our great nation, get ripped apart by cheap foreign labor. But not anymore, not under the president of the American worker. As your Secretary of Labor, I’m working with President Trump to make sure American jobs go to American workers first.”
Chavez-DeRemer spent much of her speech attacking the Biden administration.
This is an official White House event.
8:30 p.m.: Berger and Whatley take the stage
Senate leader Phil Berger and Senate candidate Michael Whatley both had speaking slots.
“Isn’t it great to have President Trump back?” Berger asked.
The crowd didn’t cheer loud enough, so he asked again.
“President Trump is working overtime to deliver for the hard-working Americans who suffered under Biden inflation and the other failed far-left policies,” Berger said. “Eleven months ago, President Trump returned to the Oval Office and immediately started cleaning up the messes that Joe Biden had created.”
Berger highlighted Trump’s work on the border, immigration, crime and the economy.
Whatley took the microphone next and explained how he came to be North Carolina Republican Party chairman, chairman of the Republican National Committee and now candidate for U.S. Senate.
All three positions started with a call from Trump, he said.
“Now I was not expecting to get a call a few weeks ago, but I did,” Whatley said, misremembering it was five months ago. “When the president called, he said, ‘You know, Michael, (Sen.) Thom Tillis is not going to be running for reelection. So here’s the deal: You’re going to run, and you’re going to win and you’re going to do great”
He joked that he called his wife to tell her about the call and she said, “You need to stop taking this guy’s calls.”
Former Republican National Committee chair and U.S. Senate Republican primary candidate Michael Whatley talks with reporters before a rally featuring President Donald Trump at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Whatley was endorsed by Trump in July. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Whatley is running to succeed Tillis in the Senate. He and former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, are considered the frontrunners of 13 candidates.
Whatley spent a lot of time attacking Cooper and defending Trump.
Talking to reporters before his speech, Whatley was asked about the legislature’s recent redrawing of district lines.
“This is a red area,” Whatley said. “President Trump won this district in 2024. He would win this district again right now. We need in this area — as well as any other area — to have an economy that works.”
8:03 p.m. Speeches begin in Rocky Mount
Speakers are starting to address the crowd at Rocky Mount Event Center, where people are gathered to hear from President Donald Trump later Friday night.
“I love my president,” said Daniel Jones, of Whitakers, just before entering the event. “I think there’s a couple of things that he gets wrong. He’s very outspoken — it’s how he is. But he’s doing a good job.”
He added, “His financial plans, what he’s doing overseas — every level is amazing. He’s good at what he does. He’s a businessman. What else would you want to run a country and successfully?”
On specific policies, Jones said he supports tariffs, because he believes they will help bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
“In some respects, we’re going to have to eat a little bit of that,” he said. Trump “told the Americans, he told us that we’re going to have to eat a little bit of that — but just hang in there.”
Jones also said he favors a push toward oil, while adding that electric vehicles still have a role in the energy mix.
On the economy, he said it was “slowly getting better.”
On a personal level, Jones said he runs his own handyman business and that lower gas prices have helped him.
Jones said he generally supports all U.S. presidents. “All of them did a good job, really — except for Biden,” Jones said.
Looking ahead to the midterm elections, Jones said he plans to stick with the GOP.
“I’m a Republican at heart,” Jones said.
But in keeping with the reputation of the 1st Congressional District, Jones said he could be swayed.
He voted for former President Barack Obama “because he talked well and he put things together.”
7:44 p.m. Trump leaves Washington for Rocky Mount
President Donald Trump has left Washington en route to North Carolina, a press pool report confirms.
Air Force One left Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 7:34 p.m.
Among those traveling with the president are White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, trade adviser Peter Navarro, deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.
7:23 p.m.: Laurie Buckhout explains decision to run for Congress
Retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout announced this week she’d join the crowded Republican primary in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District — after winning the 2024 primary for the seat but losing to Democratic Rep. Don Davis. She said running for office had never “been far from my mind.”
“I ran last time — tough race — lost by a point and a half,” Buckhout told The News & Observer at Trump’s event.
After that race, she joined the Trump administration, serving as acting assistant secretary of war for cyber policy until September, then briefly as White House assistant national cyber director for policy. She said the work kept her focused.
“I was busy up there, nose to the grindstone, doing my thing,” she said. “I finally decided to leave and come back home,” where people began asking whether she would run again.
“Then it kind of hit me,” she said. “I wasn’t working for the administration anymore. I was like, ‘You know what? I want to go back to serve my folks.’”
Republican Laurie Buckhout, who is running in a crowded primary to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis in the 1st District, talks with a reporter before a rally featuring President Donald Trump at the Rocky Mount Event Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Even with several candidates already in the primary, Buckhout said she believes her experience sets her apart.
“I’ve got worldwide experience,” she said, adding she has written legislation that later advanced to the floor of Congress.
She also pointed to her private-sector background. “I’ve run a business — not just a little business,” Buckhout said. “I’ve run a major business, employing over 150 people, mostly veterans.”
After leaving the military, she founded Corvus Consulting, a consulting and services firm focused on electronic warfare and cyberspace operations.
7:01 p.m.: Whatley blames Biden for the economy
As people began filtering into the main event space, Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley joined reporters in a fenced-off area towards the center back.
Trump coming to the 1st Congressional District is “tremendously important,” he said. “The message that he’s bringing here, which is about more jobs, higher wages and lower costs, are really, really important for the voters in northeast North Carolina and, frankly, all across the country,” he said.
Whatley said that when Trump ran in 2024, his agenda “was very straightforward.”
“It was to rebuild our economy, to restore our borders and make sure America is respected again around the world,“ Whatley said. “That is exactly what he is doing in office right now, and we are experiencing the most transformational term in our lifetime.”
Former Republican National Committee chair and U.S. Senate Republican primary candidate Michael Whatley talks with reporters before a rally featuring President Donald Trump at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Whatley was endorsed by Trump in July. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
On being endorsed by Trump, Whatley said he was “honored,” adding that Trump “needs an ally, and North Carolina needs a conservative voice in the Senate.”
Asked about Michele Morrow joining the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate, Whatley said, “We’re going to run our primary. We’re going to run our race. We are the only candidate in this field that has been asked to run by the president, who has been endorsed by the president, and we are the only candidate that’s in a position to be able to beat Roy Cooper next fall.”
Whatley said his campaign priorities include economic policies — including “trade policies and tax policies and regulatory policies” — that he said would help North Carolina manufacturers, small businesses and farmers, as well as policies “that are going to keep our kids and our communities safe.”
Whatley acknowledged that he agrees with public sentiment on the economy.
“Prices are still high,” he said. “Prices are extremely high because Joe Biden and his inflation drove those prices through the roof.”
“It costs twice as much to buy the same house in 2024 as it did in 2020. Gasoline prices went through the roof. Health care costs have gone through the roof. Right? So we need to put these policies in place.”
Republican state Sen. Bobby Hanig, who is running in a crowded primary to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis in the 1st District, left, pats former Republican National Committee chair and U.S. Senate Republican primary candidate Michael Whatley on the back before a rally featuring President Donald Trump at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
He pointed to Trump’s call for no taxes on tips, and his One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress.
The Democratic National Committee, in a statement, referred to Trump’s “failing economy.”
“However hard Trump tries to explain away his failing economy, it’s abundantly clear that Americans aren’t buying it, especially in North Carolina,” said Ahbi Rahman, DNC’s deputy communications director. “In North Carolina alone, Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and chaotic tariffs devastated the economy and killed jobs, raised costs for thousands of hardworking families, and created a health care crisis.”
He added: “Donald Trump may think affordability is a ‘hoax,’ but North Carolina families know better.”
6:27 p.m. Supporters gather in Rocky Mount
Christine and Ryan Chamberlain drove in from Durham for their first Trump rally.
Christine Chamberlain said she wanted to be there to see Trump in person.
“I agree with all his policies, and I think he’s doing really good, so I don’t think I’ll hear anything negative,” she said.
She pointed to Trump’s focus on the military, citing his announcement that about 1.45 million U.S. service members would receive a one-time “warrior dividend.” The money would be pulled from funds approved by Congress to cover housing and other household expenses for troops, CNN reported.
Ryan Chamberlain said he was curious to see whether Trump would talk about Venezuela. The response of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro to recent U.S. action “was one of the weakest I’ve ever seen,” Ryan said. “So it’s not like a regime change would really matter much — at least from my perspective as an American. I’m not Venezuelan, and I wish I had Venezuelan friends to hear their perspective.”
Asked about the U.S. Senate race on the ballot in North Carolina in 2026, Christine Chamberlain said she was not following it.
She said she was not familiar with Republican candidate Michael Whatley, who has Trump’s endorsement.
Ryan Chamberlain said he was not particularly active in politics. “But I know the name Roy Cooper,” he said, referring to the Democratic Senate candidate and former governor. “I haven’t heard of the other guy.”
Whatley is inside the event center where Trump is expected to give a speech at 9 p.m.
6:02 pm: Doors open for Trump event
People began entering the Rocky Mount Event Center around 5:50 p.m. Friday to hear President Donald Trump.
Inside, Senate leader Phil Berger, who recently received Trump’s endorsement for his reelection campaign, was seen talking with state Republican Party chairman Jason Simmons.
A line had already formed around the event center an hour earlier.
Around 100 people gathered outside the Rocky Mount Event Center at 4:30 p.m. ahead of President Donald Trump’s Friday night speech on Dec. 19, 2025, in Rocky Mount, N.C. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi
The evening grew chilly. Attendees were decked out in coats, many topped with red “Make America Great Again” hats.
Among those waiting in line was Tatiana Gerholdt, who moved from Los Angeles to Carrboro two months ago. She said she came to Rocky Mount with her husband to “see the president. We love him so much. We’ve never seen him before.”
Gerholdt said Trump has “done everything he said he was going to do. He closed the border. He’s been true to everybody — not just white people like some people would like to think, but to everybody. Every race. Black. Latinos. I’m Latina.”
She said the tariffs Trump has put in place are helping people by encouraging more local manufacturing and creating jobs.
“They help make more things local and give jobs to everybody,” she said.
Gerholdt said she would like to see more support for small businesses.
“Go back to the mom-and-pops,” she said. “There are a lot of big manufacturers.”
She said prices were improving and that she supported Trump’s foreign policy. “He is the man of peace,” she said. “He gets along with everybody.”
5:53 p.m.: What to expect from Trump speech
Around 100 people lined up outside the Rocky Mount Event Center more than four hours before President Donald Trump is expected to give a speech Friday night.
His planned appearance also drew out at least one protester shouting into a megaphone about high prices and racism.
The crowd began chanting “U.S.A.” to drown out his message.
But the protester was partly on topic for what Trump told reporters at the White House a day earlier that he planned to speak about in North Carolina: inflation, the economy and immigration.
“We’ve had tremendous success,” Trump told reporters, according to a pool report. “We’re bringing prices down. We inherited a mess, and part of what we inherited was the worst inflation in 48 years … I’ll be talking about the fact that we secured the border where literally nobody can come into our country illegally anymore.”
Trump made similar remarks Wednesday night in a frantic 18-minute speech on television as he addressed the nation, in what some outlets are calling a partisan rant filled with misinformation.
“This is what they do when the record is bad,” said Christyna Thompson, press secretary at Senate Majority PAC, a group focused on electing Democrats. “They ramble, they point fingers, they pray people forget who raised their costs. They’re scrambling to reassure their base they haven’t lost control.”
But a spokesman for House Republicans’ campaign organization led by Rep. Richard Hudson of Southern Pines said North Carolinians “love President Trump because he’s delivering on his promise to improve the economy, border security, and community safety.”
What is unclear is whether Trump’s speech Friday night is intended to be a stump speech for Republicans in North Carolina.
Rocky Mount is located in a congressional district that was redrawn this fall to favor Republicans.
The 1st Congressional District is represented by Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill. It has been a target for years of the National Republican Congressional Committee to flip red, despite being represented by a Democrat for a century.
The NRCC spokesman, Reilly Richardson, said “all Don Davis has done is stand in the way. Next year, voters will show Davis how they feel about his obstructionism.”
At Trump’s direction, North Carolina lawmakers redrew Davis’ district in October to favor a Republican and drew his home into the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville.
Both Davis and Murphy said they would run as incumbents in their respective districts.
However, the new boundaries enticed many Republicans to run against Davis. Friday marked the end of candidate filing ahead of the March 3 primary.
Republican candidates include Laurie Buckout, the Department of Defense acting assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy; state Sen. Bobby Hanig, Lenoir County Commissioner Eric Rouse, Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck and attorney Ashley-Nicole Buck.
Davis is running uncontested in the Democratic primary, and Vietnam veteran Tom Bailey is running as a Libertarian in the race.
In an attack on Buckhout’s candidacy, Buck said in a news release that several candidates had recently traveled to Washington to meet with White House officials seeking endorsements. There’s no indication that Trump plans to offer one tonight, but he’s been known to take candidates by surprise during speeches.
Many political watchers are also paying attention to the U.S. Senate campaigns of former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who are considered the race’s frontrunners.
Whatley announced Trump’s speech prior to the White House’s official announcement.
“The reason Whatley’s right there with Trump is because they know they’re staring down defeat this year, so they haven’t lost control,” Thompson said.
Six Republicans, six Democrats and one Libertarian are running for Senate.
Cooper and his wife, Kristin, raised their family in Rocky Mount before he became governor.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 5:53 PM.
Danielle Battaglia
McClatchy DC
Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi
The News & Observer
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi is a politics reporter for the News & Observer. She reports on health care, including mental health and Medicaid expansion, hurricane recovery efforts and lobbying. Luciana previously worked as a Roy W. Howard Fellow at Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative news organization.
