Trump blitzes battleground state of North Carolina amid concerns storm damage may depress turnout

Former President Donald Trump spent his Monday in western North Carolina, hosting a flurry of events in the storm-ravaged region as questions linger over the possible impact that hurricane damage might have on turnout in the Republican-leaning area of the key battleground state.

Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina in late September, causing considerable flood damage and killing more than 200 people. The devastation saw entire towns, such as Chimney Rock, almost entirely swept away. Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C, confirmed last week that at least 92 people remained missing.

With the exception of Asheville, a noted hipster hotspot and city with a sizeable density, the western portions of the state are overwhelmingly Republican and speculation has persisted that the storm and its fallout may hinder voter turnout to the detriment of the Trump campaign.

Trump currently holds an average 0.5% lead in the Old North State, earning 48.4% to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 47.9% in the RealClearPolitics polling average. With such a narrow lead, only a small drop in turnout among the Republican counties could prove decisive in the battle for the state and, ultimately, the battle for the White House.

But Trump is taking no chances and has been on the ground in the region, working to keep the affected areas in the national spotlight and to keep himself in the minds of the locals. He began his Monday blitz with a press conference in Asheville, N.C., during which he outlined his plans to restore the damaged regions.

“Today, I'm promising the people of this state that when I'm President… I will support and totally complete the rebuilding of every region and town and city that was devastated by the hurricane,” he vowed. “I will slash through every bureaucratic barrier that you're having already and having problems with right now, I understand pretty badly, to help you get back on your feet and I will personally recruit businesses from all over the world to help restore the prosperity to the region.”

He went on to remind locals of the importance of voting him into the White House so that he could assist more in the recovery effort. Trump also lauded the determination of people who voted despite the hurricane’s impact.

“We [will] not let this hurricane that has taken so much also take your voice. You must get out and vote,” he warned. “The polls are open for early voting every day between now and November 2. And you know, the thing that amazes me most is areas such as this and others where it's so hard to vote, people have lost their homes, they've sometimes lost members of their family. They just set a record in voting, can you believe it?”

Fielding questions from reporters, Trump asserted that “voting is the least of it right now, they gotta vote. They want to vote because it's very important, but they have to survive.”

“That's why I can't believe the early voting. The early voting is records. I can't you know, when they told me that, I was shocked,” he went on.

Trump is not incorrect in that observation. North Carolina witnessed a record turnout for early voting despite the hurricane. The elections board has confirmed that more than than one million votes have already been cast in the Old North State, accounting for roughly 13% of the 7.8 million voters, The Hill reported. First day early voting, moreover, totaled 353,166 and marked a modest increase over 2020 data, when 348,599 people voted on the first day of early voting.

Regional data, moreover, suggests Trump may not need to worry too much about the hurricane’s impact. Turnout appears to have been strong in the areas most affected by the hurricane, moreover. Of the 13 counties most hard hit by the storm, twelve of them have already received more than 10% of the ballots of their total registered voters.

While the press conference focused more on hurricane relief efforts, Trump turned up the political dial at a subsequent rally in Greenville.

At that event, Trump lamented the “terrible devastation” of the storm and vowed to support the community rebuilding efforts. He further asserted that the Biden administration “didn’t have any money left for North Carolina” after it “spent their money on illegal migrants.”

Trump then spoke directly to those who had relocated due to Helene, telling them that they need not return to their home county to cast a ballot and could request a ballot at their temporary location.

“So get out there and vote. Get out there and vote. If you have to, you wait [until] November 5 is fine too. We just have to make sure we vote. Make sure it's counted,” he said.

At a later faith leaders meeting in Concord, N.C., he reiterated criticisms of the Biden administration, before recalling his own experience on the ground and lauding Franklin Graham’s private relief efforts. He further said he was “very honored” by the determination of the storm victims to cast their votes.

“Their homes are gone. They've gone through such hell, and it's as big a water you know, that's a as big a water storm, they say, as we've ever seen in this country. And they just set a record,” he said.