Trump veers from 'blood-soaked killing fields' to economy in NC speech

Nora O'Neill and Danielle Battaglia, The Charlotte Observer on Sep 16, 2026

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GASTONIA, N.C. — President Donald Trump returned to the Charlotte region to campaign Wednesday evening alongside Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley in Gastonia.

Trump delivered remarks focused on crime and the economy at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, where he also rallied during his 2024 presidential campaign. Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party, lives in Gaston County and has been endorsed by Trump in his race against former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The two are competing for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking reelection.

Trump’s appearance also put a renewed spotlight on his relationship with Whatley, whose political career has been closely tied to the president. Whatley led the Republican National Committee during Trump’s successful 2024 campaign and previously chaired the North Carolina Republican Party.

The “Make America Safe Again” rally started shortly after 5 p.m. Trump landed around 6 p.m. at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and started around 7:30 p.m. and spoke for an hour.

He spent much of the speech attacking Whatley’s opponent, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and North Carolina, saying that its cities had turned into “blood-soaked killing fields.”

Trump celebrated the job market and addressed the economy.

He talked about his policies that stopped people who work overtime or service workers tips from being taxed.

He celebrated North Carolina for electing him six times, including the primaries, and told voters to pretend he’s on the 2026 ballot.

Trump spoke about the 2025 death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the light rail in Charlotte.

On Aug. 22, 2025, Zarutska boarded the light rail and sat down in front of 34-year-old DeCarlos Brow, who has been charged with her murder.

Trump used graphic language to describe her death and began to criticize the media for not showing her death on TV before saying that doing so wouldn’t be OK because of its graphic nature.

“I watched that so many times,” Trump said.

Trump said Zarutska was more scared on that train than she was with Russia bombing her home country.

“She didn’t know that sitting behind her on the train was a deranged lunatic,” Trump said. “A dangerous monster with 14 prior arrests for violent crimes. Set his bloodthirsty eyes on her right from the beginning.”

Brown has a history of mental health issues and had been arrested for misuse of the 911 system. He was out of jail on bail at the time of Zarutska’s death.

Brown had previously in prison for armed robbery, and served his entire sentence, but Trump and Republicans blame Cooper for his release because his name appears on a court settlement that allowed 3,500 prisoners to leave early due to the pandemic. He had been released prior to the settlement being reached.

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