President Donald Trump took the stage in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Wednesday to boost Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley. The rally, organized by the Republican National Committee, featured Trump’s familiar focus on public safety, linking current crime concerns to a controversial 1988 campaign ad.
Horton reference used to frame crime debate
During his remarks, Trump displayed a grainy black‑and‑white photo from the 1988 George H.W. Bush ad that highlighted Willie Horton, a Black man convicted of rape and assault after a prison furlough. Trump said, “Willie Horton was a bad guy, really bad guy,” and then compared the historic ad to the recent pre‑trial release of Decarlos Brown Jr., a Black man charged with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte.
“Same thing as this, same as, same exact thing,” Trump told the crowd, arguing that Governor Roy Cooper’s policies have released dangerous individuals onto North Carolina streets.
RNC defends Trump’s message
RNC National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre defended the president’s remarks, stating, “Roy Cooper emptied prisons and released thousands of violent monsters onto North Carolina streets. The results had deadly consequences, and every Democrat who supports abolishing or defunding the police, paroling criminals, and implementing lax bail policies will have to answer for their dangerous records in November.”
Details of the Charlotte killing
The rally referenced the Aug. 22, 2025, stabbing of 23‑year‑old Iryna Zarutska on a commuter train in Charlotte. Decarlos Brown Jr., who is Black, faces murder and related charges. Court records show Brown had 14 prior cases in Mecklenburg County, including a five‑year robbery sentence, and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. State corrections officials clarified that Brown was not released early under any Cooper‑initiated program; he was on a pre‑trial release ordered by a magistrate after Cooper left office.
Political context and reactions
Political scientists quoted in the original report noted that the original Horton ad helped Bush gain a poll lead in 1988. Andra Gillespie of Emory University said, “They showed the picture, and you ascribed race onto it. It wasn’t sufficiently condemned as racism.” Others, like Dewey Clayton of the University of Louisville, argued the tactic is a repeat of strategies that worked in 2016 and 2024, noting that “it was very effective.”
Critics of the rally, including Morgan Jackson of Nexus Strategies, accused Trump of stoking racial division and diverting attention from inflation and cost‑of‑living concerns. Jackson said, “Trump brings up Willie Horton to stoke racial division, something he’s used for the last 10 years.”
Crime statistics and local impact
According to 2024 FBI data, North Carolina ranked 19th in violent‑crime rates among the 50 states. Trump claimed the state had become “one of the most violent, one of the worst in the whole nation,” contrasting that image with his description of North Carolina as “apple pie” in the past.
The rally’s visual display of mugshots, predominantly featuring Black individuals, was intended to illustrate the president’s claim that Cooper’s administration released “some of the worst criminals in the nation.” While the exact circumstances of each release remain unclear, the imagery reinforced the campaign’s law‑and‑order narrative.
Looking ahead to the November Senate race
With midterm elections approaching, Republicans are seeking to energize swing voters in a state that has trended Democratic in recent statewide races. The use of historic campaign tactics underscores the intensity of the contest between Whatley and incumbent Gov. Cooper, who is seeking a Senate seat. Both sides are emphasizing public safety, with Trump and the RNC framing Democratic policies as the root of rising crime, while Democratic strategists warn that such rhetoric may deepen community divisions.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
