WILMINGTON, N.C. — If Donald Trump wants to win North Carolina, he’ll have to win over voters like Mike Mowatt. In many ways, Mowatt is the prototypical swing voter in this swing state: He’s retired, and North Carolina will have more voters 65 and older than ever this cycle. He cares deeply about the economy, like North Carolinians, more than any swing state. He’s not particularly excited about Kamala Harris, even though he voted for the Democratic nominee in 2016 and 2020. He is, as he told me shortly before Trump’s rally on Saturday, “curious about Trump.”
The Trump-curious crowd is dwindling. In Trump’s third presidential campaign in as many cycles, only a fraction of voters remain undecided. At this point in 2016, 22 percent of voters were still in the race; today, that number has fallen to 4 or 5 percent. In North Carolina, that group could be as high as 8 percent, more than in any other swing state. That’s a fraction of the total electorate, but with national polls showing razor-thin margins, a fraction will decide the next president. Trump’s goal Saturday was to mobilize that fraction.
That’s why Mowatt showed up Saturday, standing in the sweltering heat on the tarmac at Wilmington International, waiting for Trump to arrive. He was dressed discreetly: a dark T-shirt and a logo-less cap, amid a sea of red hats and Trump merchandise. Harris is in a “tough spot,” he told me, trying to define herself as Election Day approaches. “One hurdle she has to overcome is being associated with the Biden administration for four years,” he said.
But Trump also poses his own problems.
“One thing that concerns me about the former president,” he told me, “is the way he talked about the military. I find it somewhat disrespectful.” (North Carolina considers itself “the most military-friendly state.”) Trump’s recent comments about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, also worry Mowatt. “I expect leaders not to propagate clearly proven falsehoods,” Mowatt said.
Trump’s Problem in North Carolina: Mark Robinson
Another glaring problem in North Carolina for Republicans, including Trump, is the recent revelation that the state’s lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, whom Trump endorsed for governor, has a history of making disparaging statements.
Robinson, CNN reported Thursday, called for the return of slavery and referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on a pornographic website, prompting a series of condemnations from other North Carolina officials. Does that influence Mowatt’s opinion of Trump? “Normally I would say it wouldn’t have an impact, but I heard the former president supported the guy …” His voice trailed off.
For others at the rally, it was as if the Robinson incident, which dominated political headlines for much of Thursday and Friday, had never happened. Robinson did not appear at the rally, and Trump never mentioned him during his hourlong speech.
Several attendees brushed off the incident. “I hope (the comments) are out of context,” said Kathy Swain, 72. “They tend to do that, Democrats. They take things out of context.” But can you call yourself a “Nazi,” with or without context? “No, but people use that term. You hear Democrats use it. A lot of people use that term in politics. I wish they wouldn’t, but it’s just one of the things they use.” Donovan Burke, 58, added that he hated “to see these allegations and stuff, but I still support it.”
Gary Justice, 67, agreed. “You have to put it in perspective,” he said. “Politics is a dirty game. They’ll do anything they can to make you look like a bad candidate. … It’s propaganda. Everybody knows that.” So I asked if what CNN reported — some of which was so crude it wasn’t released — was false. “Yes,” Justice said. “I’ve seen a lot of presidential elections. This is probably the worst, in terms of propaganda and bias.”
That’s why he’s supporting Trump: to restore civility. “(Trump) treats people with respect in general,” Justice said. “To me, that’s what it’s about. I respect you. You respect me. He treats everybody the same.” (During his speech, Trump called Gov. Tim Walz “crazy” and said Harris should “get the hell out” of the White House.)
Justice’s son jumped at the chance. Cole, 22, recently got his real estate license and lives in neighboring Brunswick County. “The cost of living is insane,” he said. “And for young people like me, the future doesn’t look bright.” His support for Trump, he said, is simple: He wants a better economy. “Getting the economy going, creating more jobs, lowering interest rates, all of that together,” he said. He wishes other voters his age felt the same way. “In my opinion, I think the younger demographic is pretty stupid, and I think a lot of that has to do with social media in general,” he said. “I think people see everything that’s posted online and they take advantage of it. I don’t think anyone takes the time to do their own research.”
Nearby was a couple in their 30s from Swansboro. Ashton Merritt’s birthday is next week, and her husband, Eric, brought her to the rally as an early gift. The day was supposed to be sweet and festive, punctuated by a family gesture from Trump himself, bringing his two young grandchildren — Luke, 7, and Carolina, 5 — on stage with him. “Vote for Grandpa,” Luke told a cheering crowd.
“The most important things to us are the ones that impact us directly,” Eric said. “You know, property prices, gas prices, electricity, all that.” Eric works in real estate. “When Trump was in office,” he said, “I did a lot better. People had more purchasing power.” Harris’ economic plan, which includes helping first-time buyers, doesn’t sit well with him. “If we give something like that away, we’re diminishing the American dream,” he said. His wife, Ashton, weighed in. “Where’s the money going to come from?”
Trump’s economic promises — tax cuts, massive tariffs and increased energy production — seem far more appealing to them than Harris’ “opportunity economy” plan. “Our country is going into a real abyss,” said Jack McNear, 76, a self-described independent voter. “And I don’t know if (Trump) can turn it around, but I don’t think Kamala can.”
Mowatt wasn’t as confident. Midway through the conversation, Trump’s voice boomed over the speakers and a pre-recorded video played onstage: “We’re going to have a good, safe, beautiful election,” Trump said, encouraging his supporters to vote. “We never want to see what happened in 2020 happen again.” Democrats, he said, “are cheating — and frankly, it’s the only thing they do well.”
Mowatt pursed his lips. “That’s another thing I’d like to hear him explain,” he said, referring to Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen. “I think most people don’t think that’s true. Why keep repeating it?”
