Trump Jokes About Withholding Disaster Funds from NC if Voters Don’t Support GOP

Trump threatens disaster funds for NC unless voters back GOP in midterms, but claims he's 'only kidding.'

September 17, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Gastonia, United States — President Donald Trump suggested during a campaign rally that he would withhold disaster relief funds from North Carolina if voters do not elect Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley in the upcoming midterms. However, he quickly added that he was ‘only kidding.’

The remarks came as Trump addressed supporters at a rally in Gastonia, where he criticized Democrats and praised his administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated the state in 2024. The storm left 107 people dead and damaged or destroyed over 125,000 homes.

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Trump also claimed that the Republican-led Congress helped restore the state with over $2 billion in FEMA funding. He later joked about withholding additional aid if Whatley lost the race, though he quickly dismissed the threat. In July, Trump reportedly denied $227 million in disaster-aid requests from four Democratic-led states, while earlier in June, the administration signaled it could withhold homeland security funds from states that did not implement certain election-related changes.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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