Donald J. Trump traveled to North Carolina on Wednesday to build support for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley. Instead, he spent much of the event insulting the state, attacking former Gov. Roy Cooper and making a series of claims that don’t line up neatly with the facts.
Trump declared that North Carolina had become one of the most violent states in the country, blaming Cooper and calling him a “murderer protector.” He also repeated the claim that Cooper had released 3,500 murderers and criminals, referring to a COVID-era prison settlement that resulted in roughly 3,500 inmates (not “murderers”) being released early.
“Nobody used to think of North Carolina as a dangerous state—criminally dangerous,” Trump falsely said. “It was like, North Carolina, it was beautiful. It was apple pie, right? And now it’s one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation. And it all started with Cooper. And you have a lousy governor right now, but it started with Cooper.”
But the details are considerably more complicated than Trump’s version. North Carolina’s Department of Adult Correction has disputed claims connecting one high-profile murder suspect to those releases, and available FBI data do not support Trump’s characterization of North Carolina as among the nation’s most violent states.
Trump also took aim at Cooper’s handling of Hurricane Helene, claiming the former governor “did absolutely nothing” after the devastating 2024 storm.
“I remember Cooper was your governor when you had Helene. They call it the biggest water hurricane—it was all water,” Trump said. “And it was brutal. I was here the following day. You remember that? But Cooper did nothing. He did nothing.”
A “water hurricane,” you guys.
However, the record tells a different story. Cooper declared a state of emergency, issued executive orders, signed legislation to deliver aid, and traveled to Washington to seek federal assistance. Even a Republican local official praised Cooper’s response to the disaster.
Trump nevertheless credited Whatley with pushing him to get involved in the recovery effort, telling the crowd that he “delivered” more than $2 billion in FEMA funding and promising additional money.
In between the attacks, Trump lavished praise on Whatley, calling him one of the greatest people he had worked with in government before describing the Senate candidate as a “real ball-breaker.”
For a candidate hoping to win over North Carolina voters, Trump’s speech certainly had an unusual central message: the state is supposedly dangerous, its former governor is supposedly responsible, and the Republican candidate standing beside him is the man who can fix it. And we’ve all heard that one before, which is why we’re in this mess.
A spokesperson for Roy Cooper responded to Trump’s claims on crime.
“Independent fact-checkers have called these attacks false – Michael Whatley is getting desperate and it’s shameful that he’s using heinous crimes to try to deceive North Carolinians,” the spokesperson said. “While Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars and signing tough on crime laws as governor, Michael Whatley has continued to knowingly appoint, campaign with and elevate convicted child sex predators who spent time in prison and is celebrating the support of a President who released over 13,000 prisoners during COVID without a court order.”
And regarding Hurricane Helene:
“Roy Cooper led North Carolina through several major catastrophic storms, activating emergency resources, keeping families safe and securing significant state and federal funding for recovery,” the statement reads. “While DC insider Michael Whatley has failed in his role as federal recovery czar as Western North Carolina has only received about 15% of the critical funding it needs and used his position to line his own pockets at the expense of Helene victims, Roy Cooper will work with leaders in both parties to fast-track federal funding to ensure Western North Carolina gets every federal dollar its owed.”
Glass houses: The 2020 CARES Act, signed by Donald Trump, expanded federal authority to place inmates in home confinement during the COVID emergency. More than 13,000 people were ultimately placed in home confinement under that authority.
It’s probably best not to trash the state that’s hosting your rally, Donald.
Trump on hurricane relief in North Carolina: If Michael loses, I’m not sending it. No, I’m only kidding pic.twitter.com/XFnsjTqx54
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 17, 2026
