OAN Staff Sophia Flores
12:44 PM – Monday, March 16, 2026
President Donald Trump called former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley ‘great’ while sharply criticizing his Democrat opponent, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
On Monday, the president took to Truth Social to give his opinion on the North Carolina Senate race.
“Michael Whatley is so Great! Running against a really bad former Governor who set murderers free to kill again, and was grossly incompetent on the big hurricane cleanup. I had to get it done when I took office on January 20th, and I did! I hope the Great people of North Carolina remember how BAD Roy Cooper was as Governor, especially on crime. Michael Whatley will be a FANTASTIC Senator. He led the Republican Party to VICTORY in 2024. Michael will be a GREAT SENATOR, one of the very best!”
Over the years, Trump has been outspoken about Cooper, describing him as “too liberal” and “soft on crime.” During recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene in late 2024 and early 2025, the president accused the former governor of “blocking aid” to Republican areas in Western North Carolina — a claim Cooper has denied. More recently, Trump criticized Cooper’s crime policies, pointing to the 2025 stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, as evidence of what he calls the state’s “less safe” policies.
Whatley and Cooper are running in North Carolina’s Senate race to replace retiring Republican senator Thom Tillis.
Tillis announced his retirement after he voted against Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” and after the president called him out for being “missing in action” in response to the devastating North Carolina floods.
The high stakes race will play a big part in determining control of the Senate.
Currently, Republicans hold control of the U.S. Senate with a 53–45–2 majority. However, the two Independents in the Senate, Angus King (I-Maine) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), caucus with Democrats for organizational purposes, bringing the functional Democrat voting bloc to 47.
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