'Pretend I’m on the ticket': Trump hits campaign trail in bid to boost Republican hopes
President stumps for Senate nominee Michael Whatley in North Carolina and urges voters to ‘crush the communists’
TL;DR
- Donald Trump urged North Carolina voters to support Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley, asking them to 'pretend I’m on the ticket'.
- Trump linked the Senate election to Roy Cooper's governorship, focusing on 'safety' and 'bad management'.
- He invoked the murder of a Ukrainian refugee, falsely claiming Cooper released the accused attacker from prison, and compared his attack on Cooper to the 1988 Willie Horton ad.
- Trump praised Whatley as the 'candidate of law and order' and criticized Cooper as not being a moderate.
- The rally aimed to energize Republican voters in a crucial battleground state where polls show Cooper leading Whatley.
- Trump also criticized the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates, calling the move 'very hostile' and officials 'politicians'.