Trump campaigns in North Carolina with early voting underway

Former President Trump on Monday made a swing through North Carolina, seeking to shore up his support in a crucial battleground state with early voting underway.

“I’d like to begin by asking a question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago? I don’t think so. Not even close. That’s a big question,” Trump told supporters in Greenville.

Trump made three separate campaign stops in the state, each with distinctly different settings. His first event was a tour of storm damage from Hurricane Helene in Asheville, where he repeated misleading claims about the federal response, even as he suggested that Congress should return to pass more funding. His second stop was a traditional campaign rally in Greenville, and his third stop was with a gathering of faith leaders in Concord.

Trump’s rally remarks were similar to his other recent events on the trail. He attacked Vice President Harris as a “stupid person,” criticizing her for rising prices and a surge in immigration in recent years. He touted his proposals to cut taxes on tips, overtime wages and Social Security benefits. He vowed to carry out mass deportations. He attacked “60 Minutes” for its editing of an interview with Harris, though the program has called Trump’s claims “false.”

And Trump frequently meandered as he recounted stories from his first term in the White House and on the campaign trail.

“Now all these idiots back there will say, ‘He’s cognitively impaired,’” Trump said, referring to the media in the room after an aside about watching a rocket launch on TV. “You know, I do this stuff five, six, seven times a day for 52 days without a break, and then if you say one wrong word — which I don’t actually. I don’t. … They’re sick people.”

North Carolina state officials reported that more than 1 million residents cast ballots since early voting began in the state late last week.

Trump acknowledged the enthusiasm in the state, despite the hardships many residents are facing in the aftermath of the storm.

“It’s vital that we not let this hurricane that has taken so much also take your voice. You must get out and vote,” Trump said in Asheville, where he stood in front of damaged property and was flanked by local officials.

A Decision Desk HQ/The Hill average of polls in North Carolina shows Trump leading Harris by roughly 1 percentage point in the state. A Washington Post/Schar School poll published Monday showed Trump leading Harris by 3 percentage points among likely voters.

North Carolina has been a closely fought battleground since the 2008 cycle, when former President Obama narrowly carried the state. But Democrats have been unable to win the state since, including in 2020, when Trump won the state over President Biden by roughly 74,000 votes.