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ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Vice President JD Vance will make a trip to North Carolina on Friday, where the economy is expected to be the central theme.
The event is being held in Rocky Mount at the Power House. A vice president spokesperson said Vance will “focus on the economy, public safety, and election integrity” in his remarks.
That focus has been a pillar of President Trump’s agenda dating back to his first term.
An News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released last month found that 29% of respondents said the economy has improved since Trump took office, while 48% said it has gotten worse. While those numbers reflect an improvement from last year, economic concerns remain a significant challenge for the administration as it heads into the midterm election cycle.
“The economy is weighing on everyone’s mind,” said Mary Helen Warren, president of the Tar River Republican Women. “Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, unaffiliated, doesn’t matter. If you’re paying bills, you’re worried about the economy. So hopefully he will talk about that as well.”
Roughly 150 seats were set up for the event, with most filled nearly two hours before the vice president’s scheduled appearance. Among those in attendance were State Auditor Dave Boliek and Laurie Buckhout, the Republican nominee in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, who recently received Trump’s endorsement.
The vice president is expected to speak at 2 p.m.
This will be Vance’s second trip to North Carolina since becoming vice president. He spoke in Concord in September about public safety in the wake of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
affiliate WTVD’s Michael Perchick contributed to this report.
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