Donald Trump, Jill Biden visit swing state of NC on final day of election campaign
Following three rallies across the state over the weekend, Donald Trump kicked off his final day of campaigning for the White House with a stop in Raleigh.
The former president and Republican nominee held the first of four planned election-eve rallies Monday morning at Dorton Arena on the state fairgrounds, returning to the same venue where he also held his last stop in North Carolina in 2016.
First Lady Jill Biden and Gov. Roy Cooper, meanwhile, joined phone banking and canvassing efforts being organized by the Harris campaign in several cities. And Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff made campaign stops in Eastern North Carolina.
In the evening, the Harris campaign planned to hold a rally with local leaders in Raleigh that was expected to include performances by James Taylor, Fantasia Barrino, Remi Wolf and Sugarland.
Here are live updates from Monday’s final campaign stops throughout the state.
Doug Emhoff campaigns in Eastern NC
Updated at 6:25 p.m.: Emhoff traveled Monday afternoon to Greenville, where he stopped at a local Democratic headquarters and knocked on doors in a neighborhood, WITN reported.
The second gentleman told reporters his wife “has been out there for 15 weeks. She has shown the country what a real president looks like,” WITN reported.
Jill Biden: ‘character and temperament matter’
Updated at 4 p.m.: At the Harris campaign’s Durham field office, there was high energy and enthusiasm among supporters preparing to canvas for the vice president.
“When you’re out there, let’s remind people that character and temperament matter,” Biden said.
“That other guy,” she said of Trump, “he only cares about himself.”
“Kamala is going to make life a little bit easier for Americans all across this country.” She said a Harris-Walz administration would improve the cost of housing, groceries and prescription drugs. She also emphasized the campaign’s position on protecting reproductive rights and Social Security.
She shook hands with canvassers before departing just before 3 p.m.
Jill Biden launches phone bank in Carrboro
Updated at 3 p.m.: Biden was en route to Durham, her third and last stop of the day in North Carolina, shortly after 2 p.m.
At the Harris-Walz campaign office in Carrboro, Biden spoke briefly to the crowd. “I know we are tired… but we have just one more day,” she said.
She shook hands with attendees, which included UNC-Chapel Hill students, community organizers, an unaffiliated voter supporting Harris, first-time voters, Young Democrats and several retired educators. Biden remarked, “See, teachers are so dedicated.”
There were around 15 volunteers and about a dozen campaign staffers waiting for Biden in Carrboro.
The campaign office had been decorated with a countdown to the election that read “1 day to elect Kamala,” a “Handmaid’s Tale”-themed cartoon by Mike Luckovich for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, campaign signs for Josh Stein’s gubernatorial campaign, and a handwritten sign that asked, ”What is bringing you joy in this election?”
Democratic state Sen. Natalie Murdock attended the Carrboro event. She introduced herself to the crowd and took a selfie with them, then filmed volunteers chanting “when we fight, we win.”
Other campaign surrogates in NC Monday
Updated at 2:15 p.m.: Both Trump and Harris had surrogates campaigning on their behalf all across the state.
Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who recently joined Trump at a rally in Greensboro to announce that she would join the Republican Party, is holding an event in Hendersonville at 1 p.m. with Danica Patrick, Sage Steele, and Setema Gali.
In Nashville, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned for GOP congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout, who is trying to unseat first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, meanwhile, held a clergy breakfast and get-out-the-vote rally in Winston-Salem Monday morning.
In the afternoon, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, one of Harris’ top surrogates, planned to launch canvassing efforts in Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Durham.
Trump on ‘final moment’
Updated at 12:22 p.m.: Trump said he needed a landslide victory to show the election is “too big to rig.”
“All I need is for you to get out and vote,” Trump said.
Trump said that “this will be our final moment” in North Carolina, and that after Tuesday, “We’ll have many meetings, but we won’t have rally meetings. Maybe we’ll rally in our success.”
Trump finished his speech with the words, “We will make America great again,” and left the stage to “YMCA” by the Village People, dancing with his arms while the music played.
Trump’s rally ended at 12:20 p.m.
Updated at 12:05 p.m.: Trump spent a few minutes insulting former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying she “is a disgrace.” He twice referenced the media area of the arena, calling the reporters and photographers who his campaign invited to cover the event “fake news.”
Trump talked about what he would have done this past term, saying that Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, wouldn’t have happened if he had been president.
Trump kept returning to the topic of immigration, saying that “the day that I take office, the migrant invasion ends and the restoration of our country begins.”
He said Nov. 5 “will be liberation day in America. And on day one I will launch the largest deportation,” adding that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Updated at 11:30 a.m.: Trump gave an off-the-cuff speech on a variety of topics, saying the “press will say, oh he rambled. But that’s the weave.” Trump said he doesn’t need to use a teleprompter.
He brought Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida onto the stage, saying that he needed to make his next campaign stop soon so they should be brief.
A steady stream of people began leaving the arena as Trump seemed to be wrapping up a short speech.
Sanders said that Trump loves his country, and that he stood up for her when she worked for him. Rubio said that with Trump “back in the White House together we will dream big for this country.”
Trump then continued his speech, and criticized the federal government, referring to “that terrible FEMA response” to damage in North Carolina from Helene.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is in North Carolina Monday, scheduled to visit a disaster recovery center in Charlotte.
Trump takes the stage
Updated at 11:15 a.m.: Trump took the stage just before 11 a.m., following his son, Donald Trump Jr., who, like everyone who has spoken, urged people to vote.
Coming out as usual at his rallies to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” the elder Trump told the crowd of thousands that the election was “ours to lose” if people don’t vote.
He asked the crowd, “Are you better off now than four years ago?”
Trump talked about how many days in a row he’s been working. On the border, he talked about making Mexico stop migrants from crossing into the United States and about an app he says is used for human trafficking. He griped about pieces of the border wall not being installed.
Trump also praised billionaire supporter Elon Musk, who bought the social media site Twitter and renamed it X, and who is helping his campaign.
Trump moved from topic to topic, from immigration to how he thinks the U.S. Space Force will become more important that the U.S. Marines.
‘Most important election in our country’s lifetime’
Updated at 10 a.m.: U.S. Sen. Ted Budd talked about inflation, immigration and how “these last four years, we’ve not only lost our security, we’ve lost a lot of the American dream.”
He also asked for a show of hands of who has already voted, and urged them to vote Tuesday.
“This is the most important election in our country’s lifetime,” Budd said.
After Budd left the stage, there was a break in speakers, and for the next 45 minutes, loud music played in the arena, with songs like DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” while people waved signs that read “Trump Will Fix It” and “Dream Big, Again.” Digital screens displayed ads for Trump’s campaign and MAGA flags.
More people filled some of the upper-section seats at Dorton Arena, though hundreds of seats remained open.
Vanessa Irvin, 72, drove over from Cary with her husband and daughter to attend Trump’s final rally of the campaign in North Carolina.
A supporter of Trump’s since 2016, Irvin said she admires the former president’s personality, describing him as “down to earth” and a “fun person.”
“He’s the same person campaigning as he was as a celebrity,” Irvin said.
Irvin said she voted in elections but only started closely following politics and getting involved after Trump ran in 2016. She went to her first Trump rally that year in Charlotte.
Like the majority of rally-goers who raised their hands when asked by Budd if they had voted early, Irvin said she had already cast her ballot. This year, Irvin said she’s excited not just about Trump’s possible return to the White House, but by the major new faces of his political movement. In particular, she mentioned Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Vivek Ramaswamy.
A few Republican candidates for Council of State were also at the rally, including Dave Boliek, who is running for state auditor; Michele Morrow, who is running for superintendent of public instruction; and Brad Briner, who is running for state treasurer.
Dan Bishop pledges to ‘restore law and order’ in NC
Updated at 8:57 a.m.: Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who is running for attorney general, talked about his policy plans and urged those who haven’t voted yet to cast their ballots on Tuesday.
“Every one of us has our part to play in the movement and in this moment and in this renewal of our country. President Trump has said he will make America safe again. Well, I’m going to be the attorney general to restore law and order in North Carolina,” Bishop said.
“I’m going to back up the men and women of law enforcement, and make sure we go upright with President Trump and restoring our nation’s borders,” he said.
Bishop also said that his opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, was endorsed “by lying, legacy leftist media,” which garnered boos from the crowd.
“It’s time to stop all the crazy,” Bishop said, adding he was “ready to do his part.”
Trump rally begins
Updated at 8:45 a.m.: The rally began at 8:30 a.m. with the national anthem, a criminal justice advocate, and congressional candidate Brad Knott.
Knott told the crowd that “every person here loves the United States of America” and talked about how he thinks the country thrived under Trump, saying that the Biden-Harris administration is the reason inflation is so high.
Elected officials at the event include U.S. Sen. Ted Budd and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop. People waiting in line earlier had all entered the arena by 8:30 a.m., with no one else waiting outside. Inside, people waited in line for concessions like hot dogs, popcorn and soft pretzels. Hundreds of seats in the stands remained empty.
Rally-goer Francis Soo said he has seen Trump speak several times. He described the rallies as akin to a music festival.
“I love Trump. He’s an American conservative. I like him as a world leader,” Soo told The News & Observer.
Heading into Election Day, North Carolina Republicans have been encouraged by much higher GOP turnout during early voting than in previous years.
N.C. GOP Chair Jason Simmons told The N&O at the rally that Republicans are feeling good about GOP enthusiasm, and expect strong turnout Tuesday as well.
Simmons said that Trump’s decision to campaign each of the final three days before Election Day in North Carolina — which Democrats have said is a sign that the campaign is worried about winning a third time here — is “indicative of how important” the state and its 16 electoral votes are for Trump’s path to victory.
Dorton Arena opens for Trump rally
Updated at 8 a.m.: Hundreds of people were already lined up outside Dorton Arena as dawn streaked the Raleigh sky pink and yellow. Doors opened around 7 a.m., with a steady stream of people entering the building over the next hour. After passing through metal detectors and having bags searched, rally-goers filled the folding chairs on the floor of the arena, with hundreds more taking their seats in the stands.
Inside, loud music played on speakers and two digital screens flashed photos of Trump and phrases like “Make America Safe Again,” “Trump Will Fix It!” and “Dream Big Again!” Photos of Kamala Harris also flashed with “Kamala Harris is Weak, Failed, and Dangerously Liberal.”
Last-minute campaign swing
Trump held rallies in Gastonia and Greensboro on Saturday, and Kinston on Sunday, while his running mate Sen. JD Vance and eldest son Donald Trump Jr. teamed up for final rallies in Selma on Friday and Raleigh on Sunday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, rallied supporters in Charlotte on Saturday. The Harris campaign has enlisted First Lady Jill Biden to campaign for the Democratic nominee in the Tar Heel State on Monday. Biden will spend the day launching canvassing and phone bank efforts in Winston-Salem, Carrboro and Durham.
More than 4.4 million people have already voted in the state, accounting for more than 56% of eligible voters.
Polling places are open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Donald Trump, Jill Biden visit swing state of NC on final day of election campaign."
