Trump stumping in North Carolina, where he sees safe lead shrinking

Former President Donald Trump is set to campaign in North Carolina as Vice President Kamala Harris has shrunk his lead and is inching closer to turning it into a battleground state.

The GOP presidential nominee will rally supporters on Wednesday evening in Asheville, North Carolina, to recap “economic hardships,” according to the Trump campaign. 

“Hard-working Americans are suffering because of the Harris-Biden Administration’s dangerously liberal policies. Prices are excruciatingly high, and the cost of living has soared — leaving those on a fixed income, unsure of how they are going to afford a basic standard of living in the future. Since Kamala Harris and Joe Biden took office, prices in North Carolina have risen over 21% and families have spent an astonishing $24,937 since 2021,” the campaign’s announcement said.

The news comes as polling indicates Trump has lost ground in the Tar Heel State. 

Trump led President Joe Biden by 6 percentage points in North Carolina before the Democratic incumbent dropped his reelection bid, according to polling averages from the New York Times. A Morning Consult-Bloomberg survey released at the end of July indicates Trump’s lead has dropped. Harris now appears to trail Trump by 2 percentage points in the state. 

Other surveys echo the trend that the Harris campaign is gaining momentum in North Carolina. While the Real Clear Politics average of recent polls shows Trump sustains a 3.2-point lead over the vice president, the number marks a drop from the previous 5.4-point edge he had over Biden.

Trump has made North Carolina a focal point of his 2024 campaign, making at least five appearances across the state in 2024 alone. It was in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Trump decided to hold his first rally after Harris announced her entrance into the presidential race in July. 

In June, the GOP leader delivered a speech at the North Carolina Republican Party State Convention in Greenville after capturing attention in Concord the previous month. During an appearance at NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in May, Trump became the first current or former president to attend a race at the venue. 

Trump also held a Get Out the Vote rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 2, canceling a Wilmington event the next month due to inclement weather.

Harris has made her own slew of appearances across the battleground state, making at least seven visits to North Carolina in 2024.

Trump won North Carolina during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.