Trump Campaigns in North Carolina Ahead of Midterms, Announces $8bn Aid for Farmers

US President Donald Trump is heading to Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday to back Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for the US Senate. The stop is part of a seven-day campaign blitz through states Trump won in 2024. The US midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress including the Senate, are two weeks away.

Aid for farmers

At a rally in Kansas on Monday night, Trump announced $8bn in economic aid for farmers hit by soaring diesel prices. According to the source, the price rise stems from the US war on Iran: a gallon of diesel costs nearly $6, almost double the level a year ago. Polling shows Republicans on course for heavy losses, and the campaign is dominated by anger over fuel costs and the cost of living.

In August, Trump upset cattle ranchers with a plan to cut import tariffs to lower beef prices. Aggressive immigration raids also led some agricultural workers to stay at home.

Tight races in Kansas and North Carolina

In Kansas, where no Democrat has won a US Senate seat since 1932, Trump spoke to about 5,000 supporters at an arena outside Wichita, backing first-term senator Roger Marshall. He acknowledged the state was "sort of tending toward the purple", noting that Kansas already has a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly.

In North Carolina, Whatley faces an uphill battle against Roy Cooper, the state's former Democratic governor, who has consistently led in polls for the open seat. Earlier this month, the Senate Republicans' top Super PAC, a political committee that raises and spends money on campaigns, announced it was pulling a $71m ad spend in North Carolina in order to direct more money to the Kansas race. This suggests Republican hopes of holding the state may be fading.