President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit North Carolina this week, according to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley.

The event, set for Friday, Dec. 19, will take place at the Rocky Mount Events Center, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Whatley announced the visit while sharing an official registration link for supporters.

I’m excited to welcome President @realDonaldTrump to Rocky Mount this Friday.

Let’s give him the North Carolina welcome he deserves.

RSVP to join us HERE > https://t.co/HgnKFtImPm

— Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNC) December 15, 2025

The stop comes as Trump continues to boost allies running in high-profile races. Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, received Trump’s endorsement this summer. He is currently seeking the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Thom Tillis. The Republican field remains open through Dec. 19, and more candidates could still enter before the deadline.

If Whatley wins the primary, he is expected to face Democrat Roy Cooper, the former two-term governor who has never lost a statewide race. Cooper previously served as attorney general and a longtime state lawmaker, giving him one of the most extensive political resumes in the field.

Trump’s visit marks his first return to the state since June, when he traveled to Fort Bragg. He has carried North Carolina in all three of his presidential campaigns, making the state a key stop as national attention shifts toward the 2026 Senate battle.

The White House registration page describes the upcoming event simply as “President Donald J. Trump’s Remarks” and lists the Rocky Mount Events Center as the venue.

Election officials expect the race to become one of the most closely watched contests in the country, with national parties already signaling heavy investment as control of the Senate remains in play.

North Carolina has secured a major legal victory after a federal judge ordered FEMA to reinstate the halted BRIC disaster-mitigation program, siding with a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Jeff Jackson. The ruling immediately restores millions in resilience funding for cities and towns across the state.

“We won this case because FEMA tried to take back $200 million that it had already designated for North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson in a press release. “Our towns spent years doing everything FEMA asked them to do to qualify for this funding, and they were in the middle of building real protections against storms when FEMA suddenly broke its word. Keeping water systems working and keeping homes out of floodwater isn’t politics – it’s basic safety. This ruling puts the money back where it was promised so these communities can be ready for the next storm.”

In the decision, the court sharply criticized FEMA’s freeze, calling it “unlawful Executive encroachment on the prerogative of Congress to appropriate funds for a specific and compelling purpose.” The judge also noted that “the BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives,” adding that “the imminence of disasters is not deterred by bureaucratic obstruction.”

The order requires FEMA to resume processing and distributing BRIC grants without delay. The freeze had stalled critical projects designed to protect drinking water, electrical systems, and flood-prone infrastructure statewide.

Several North Carolina communities now regain access to major awards, including:

• Salisbury — $22.5 million to relocate a sewage station away from the Yadkin River flood zone.

• Hillsborough — nearly $7 million to move a pump station out of a flood plain.

• Gastonia — $5.9 million to restore Duharts Creek banks and relocate vulnerable sewer lines.

• Mount Pleasant — more than $4 million to improve stormwater drainage and secure electrical equipment.

• Leland — $1.1 million to move sewer infrastructure away from Sturgeon Creek, which frequently floods.

Jackson said the ruling “restores stability to a program designed to prevent disasters, not create them,” and emphasized that communities can now resume work that had been paused for months.

With the injunction in place, local governments are preparing to restart engineering and construction planning as FEMA begins reinstating grants. State officials said the decision strengthens North Carolina’s long-term resilience as storms and flooding continue to intensify across the region.

If you’ve lived in Charlotte during Christmastime, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the legendary “Christmas Town”. It’s the official nickname of McAdenville, NC – a tiny Gaston County town with a population of 651 that sits half-way between Gastonia and Charlotte.

The town first went all-out with its Christmas decorations in 1956, a project that was spearheaded by Pharr Yarns, the largest employer and land owner in McAdenville at the time.

Starting in 1956, Pharr Yarns began subsidizing the town electric bills every Christmas, ensuring that nobody paid anything extra on their December bills for putting up lights.

The residents loved participating and, before too long, people were traveling from miles around to see the lights!

The town itself alone puts up over half a million Christmas lights on over 375 trees (not counting what the residents themselves do).

The light display covers a 1.3-mile stretch of road that meanders through town… and every home is lit.

Economic impact studies have suggested the light display brings in $11.8 million in economic activity for McAdenville and the surrounding areas.

Over 600,000 people visit in over 300,000 vehicles each year, creating huge traffic backups all along several exits on I-85.

The McAdenville Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

The lights glow nightly:
Monday – Friday
5:30 – 9:30 pm

Saturday & Sunday
5:30 – 11:00 pm

From:
Thursday, December 1 thru Monday, December 26

If you haven’t been yet – what are your waiting for?