North Carolina campaign: Trump backs Whatley and pledges $400 million for GOP
Two weeks before the midterms, Trump campaigned in Greenville for a key Senate seat. Earlier he said he would spend more than $400 million to help Republican candidates.
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US President Donald Trump campaigned in Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley. Whatley faces former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper on 3 November, a race that could help decide control of the Senate. Trump attacked Cooper's criminal justice record. He also announced that the Pentagon, which he calls the Department of War, would invest $1.5 billion to produce cutting-edge semiconductor chips in North Carolina, Fox News reported.
Earlier, Trump said on Truth Social that he plans to spend more than $400 million to support Republican candidates and that more than $300 million had already gone to campaign outreach. He gave no breakdown, Al Jazeera reported. The watchdog Campaign Legal Center accuses Trump of claiming control over spending by the super PAC MAGA Inc, which under the rules must stay independent of campaigns. A Reuters/Ipsos poll recently put Trump's approval at 31 percent.
Early voting is off to a strong start in many places. In Georgia, more than one million people had voted in person by Tuesday noon, 12 percent more than at the same point in 2022. In Texas, more than 812,000 ballots had been cast, according to Fox News. In-person early voting also began on Tuesday in Hawaii, Louisiana, Utah and Wisconsin. Republicans are defending slim majorities in both chambers of Congress.