Trump threatens to withhold disaster funds for North Carolina unless they vote Republican - but he’s ‘only kidding’

President Donald Trump said he would withhold disaster relief funding from North Carolina if voters do not elect Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley in the midterms — only to add he was “kidding.”

In an hour-long address at a Whatley campaign rally in Gastonia Wednesday night, Trump portrayed North Carolina as plagued by crime, accused Democrats of being communists and praised his administration’s response to Hurricane Helene.

“Michael was also an incredible champion for your state when you were hit with that terrible storm,” Trump said, referring to the 2024 hurricane that killed 107 people and damaged or destroyed over 125,000 homes across the state. “A lot of people call it…from the standpoint of water, the worst hurricane they’ve ever seen.”

“The Democrats didn’t do a damn thing. The Republican congresspeople came and we got to be friends really, fixing this place up, and we spent more than $2 billion dollars [on] FEMA funding,” he continued. “And you know, you’re waiting for some additional money to take care of the back, and I'm gonna get that to you Michael.”

“Now if Michael loses, I’m not sending it, ok?” the president said, waving his hand. “No, I’m only kidding. You’re gonna get it Michael.”

In July, Trump reportedly rejected $227 million in disaster-aid requests from four Democratic-led states. In June, CNN reported that the administration had signaled it could withhold millions of dollars in homeland security funding from states that did not make certain election-related changes.

Elsewhere in the speech, Trump reiterated his pledge to send every U.S. adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the November midterm elections.

If Democrats win instead, Trump said, the U.S. would enter a “massive depression.” He then returned to familiar attacks, labeling Democrats communists who support “open borders” and “transgender for everybody.”

Crime was another major theme of the address, with the 80-year-old president portraying North Carolina as a state overwhelmed by lawlessness.

“Nobody used to think of North Carolina as a dangerous state…it was beautiful, it was apple pie,” Trump told supporters. “And now it’s one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation.”

He recounted the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, who died on a train last August.

Whatley, former Republican National Committee chair, would crack down on crime if elected to the Senate, Trump said.

“Sometimes I don't like him, he’s too aggressive. He’s a real ball-breaker, let me tell you, but he’s great,” the president said. “He’s strong on crime, strong on your economic world.”

Whatley will face off against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper in November. Polls indicate that Cooper is leading his Republican rival by a sizable margin.

At one point during the rally, the crowd became distracted by a heckler being escorted away from the back of the venue, eventually drawing Trump’s attention.

“Where is he? Who is he? Show him to me. Let me see his face,” the president said as he scanned the crowd. “Oh it’s a she. Hello.”

“She’s going home to momma, who’s watching right now,” he continued. “She’s gonna get the hell…spoken out of her.”