President Donald Trump to campaign in Eastern NC two weeks before Election Day

Danielle Battaglia, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Oct 13, 2026

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RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump plans to visit Greenville on Oct. 20 for a midterm rally, the Republican National Committee announced.

Trump’s remarks are scheduled for 7 p.m; the program begins at 5:30 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

Little information has been given about the event, but Trump is likely coming to campaign for Senate candidate Michael Whatley and 1st Congressional District candidate Laurie Buckhout, who would represent the area just north of Greenville if elected.

Spectrum News and The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner, ABC11, first reported Trump’s rally.

Buckhout, 65, a Republican from Edenton, is facing off against incumbent Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill. Davis’ district, in North Carolina’s far northeast, was redrawn last fall by state lawmakers to give Republicans an advantage, but Davis has fought back to keep his seat in the House and the Cook Political Report moved the race from “leans Republican” to a toss-up this month.

Whatley, 58, a Republican from of Gastonia, is campaigning against former Gov. Roy Cooper, 69, a Democrat from Raleigh. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely Democrat.” Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, dropped his reelection campaign, making this the country’s most likely seat to flip in the Senate.

Whatley’s campaign recently pulled its ads off-air temporarily, saying it would rethink strategy ahead of the midterms. The decision came as national Republicans have pulled ad funding from Whatley’s campaign to refocus on other candidates across the country, as Whatley continues to struggle in the polls.

On Tuesday morning, WRAL and WSOC-TV published a joint poll that had Cooper up 14 points at 54%.

Cooper has led in every poll against Whatley since getting into the race in July 2025, and the polls continue to show that Whatley lacks name recognition.

Trump came to North Carolina last month to help bolster Whatley’s candidacy, but instead headlines focused on Trump’s attacks on the state, calling North Carolina “a blood-soaked killing field” while trying to paint Cooper as too “soft on crime.”

The election will be held on Nov. 3.

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