Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
(Trump Rapid Response)
October 21, 2020

President Trump is Fighting for North Carolina Workers and Families

He is making the economy great again!

As President Trump peacefully protests with supporters in Gastonia, the evidence shows his whole-of-government response to the coronavirus helped North Carolina families and workers.
  • President Trump fought to give the people of North Carolina the resources and help they needed to fight the coronavirus.
     
  • The Trump Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program protected 1.2 million North Carolina jobs and has provided more than $12.2 billion worth of loans to over 129,000 businesses.
     
  • 5.1 million North Carolinians have received Economic Impact Payments totaling more than $8.6 billion in relief.
     
  • The CARES Act is providing up to $4 billion worth of aid to the state of North Carolina and more than $919 million to 6,905 health care providers in the state.

North Carolina’s businesses are poised for a historic comeback thanks to President Trump’s economic leadership.
  • President Trump’s historic tax cuts, deregulation, and pro-growth policies helped build a stronger economy for North Carolina workers and businesses.
     
  • In the last 5 months, North Carolina added 320,000 jobs back following the economy’s artificial interruption from the China virus.
     
  • In the first three years of the Trump Administration, North Carolina added over 235,000 jobs, including 11,900 manufacturing jobs. While Joe Biden was vice president, North Carolina lost 13,200 manufacturing jobs.
     
  • 252 North Carolina communities have been designated as Opportunity Zones thanks to the Trump tax reform law, driving new private investments into distressed and predominantly minority areas.

President Trump kept his promise to negotiate America First trade deals, providing a massive boost to North Carolina’s economy.
  • The President’s United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal will boost North Carolina’s economy and deliver new jobs to the state.
     
    • North Carolina exports more than $10 billion annually in goods to Canada and Mexico.
       
    • Trade with Canada and Mexico supports more than 376,000 jobs in the state, including nearly 32,000 manufacturing jobs.
       
  • President Trump is defending North Carolina farmers and agricultural producers from China by providing more than $194 million in direct USDA payments to farmers to offset the damage of China’s unfair trade practices.

But Joe Biden’s radical, far-left agenda will decimate North Carolina workers and families.

  • Biden will raise taxes on the middle class. His plan calls for raising taxes by $4 trillion and it would hit more than 80 percent of American taxpayers.
     
  • Biden has promised to “end” fossil fuels and American energy production. The oil, gas, and coal industries support over 144,000 jobs in North Carolina and contribute over $13 billion to the state’s economy each year.
     
    • One third of North Carolina’s households rely on fossil fuels to heat their homes.
  • Joe Biden’s plans endanger the private health insurance that over 5.3 million North Carolinians rely on.
     
    • Biden’s government-run public option plan would ultimately kill private health insurance plans.
       
    • Under Biden’s government-run public option plan, 24 of North Carolina’s rural hospitals would be at “high risk” of closing, limiting patients’ access to health care.
       
  • Joe Biden pledged that charter schools will be “gone” if he is elected president. In North Carolina, more than 100,000 students are enrolled in over 170 charter schools

North Carolina Democratic Party
October 17, 2020

Statement on Trump's Rally in Gastonia This Week

Following the announcement that Donald Trump will campaign in Gastonia, N.C., on Wednesday, October 21, NCDP Chairman Wayne Goodwin released the following statement:

“Just as the White House Coronavirus Task Force puts North Carolina in the ‘red zone,’ and the state records its single-day record of new COVID-19 cases, Trump has scheduled a campaign rally here in a desperate attempt to distract voters from his failed pandemic response and ineffective leadership. But make no mistake: hosting another reckless campaign rally, openly flouting state and federal guidelines and putting people’s lives at risk is only reminding voters why we cannot afford another four years of chaos. More than one million North Carolinians have already cast their ballot, and Democrats across the state won’t let up until we send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House.”

North Carolina Democratic Party
October 21, 2020

NC Democrats, Small Business Owner Slam Trump’s Record on the Economy Ahead of Gastonia Visit

“It’s clear now more than ever that Donald Trump’s chaos has a cost.” – NCDP Chair Wayne Goodwin

Raleigh – Ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to Gastonia, North Carolina Democrats hosted a virtual press conference to discuss how Trump’s failed leadership has impacted North Carolina’s working families, as unemployment is once again on the rise. Participants included North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Wayne Goodwin, State Senator Natasha Marcus and Jenny Brule, owner and chef at Davidson Ice House.
WATCH FULL CONFERENCE HERE
North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Wayne Goodwin:

“Just yesterday, we learned that North Carolina’s unemployment rate rose again in September, just the latest evidence that this administration’s botched handling of this pandemic is forcing our working men and women to pay the price for their mistakes. More than 44,000 North Carolinians became unemployed in the month of September, and our state’s unemployment rate jumped to more than 7 percent almost eight months after this crisis started.

“Now since he’s coming to Gastonia…let’s take a close look at what Donald Trump has done to help working North Carolinians get through this crisis. He has slashed unemployment benefits to Americans who are out of work, he has sent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to large and foreign owned corporations, and that’s not even the half of it. He has put Social Security and Medicare in jeopardy with his executive order on the payroll tax, and he’s failed to push through badly needed COVID relief funds that the House of Representatives has already passed — money that would support our small businesses and industries that have been crushed by this pandemic.

“You know, hundreds of thousands of working families across the state are grappling with immense financial uncertainty during the greatest public health crisis we’ve seen in a century. But instead of passing legislation that would protect essential workers and support small businesses and industries hammered by this pandemic, Donald Trump has left our working families out to dry.”

State Senator Natasha Marcus

“We need to be clear that the economic toll, particularly across the Greater Charlotte area, has been so severe. I speak with constituents on a regular basis who’ve lost their job or shuttered their small business — through no fault of their own, by the way — because of the impact of this pandemic and because of the federal government’s inability to contain it. North Carolina’s unemployment rate peaked this spring at almost 13% and even now it’s still twice what it was before the pandemic started…

“And I want to reiterate that this is not the fault of our working families or entrepreneurs, this is the fault of the current president and his disastrous handling of this crisis. Donald Trump’s inability to protect North Carolinians from this virus is what has left our economy in tatters. His refusal to take this situation seriously, or work to contain the spread, has forced these shutdowns around the country and working families, like in my district, are paying the price.

“We know that in the second quarter of 2020 alone, the Charlotte region lost more than 156,000 jobs…Just recently more than 900 employees of American Airlines, folks based right here in the Charlotte area, were laid off because Donald Trump refused to negotiate a new federal COVID relief package for industries that have been crushed by this pandemic. He just doesn’t seem to care. This is not what leadership looks like — this is an abdication of his responsibility as president and it is a monumental failure, and it is a failure that my constituents are forced to live through every day.”

Jenny Brule, founder, owner and chef at Davidson Ice House:

“As difficult as it can be, I never anticipated a pandemic, obviously. But also I didn’t anticipate it lasting this long, brutalizing my business…At a financial toll to myself, you know, I am taking on loans, to keep my doors open. Because of the way this pandemic was handled, where is the end? There doesn’t seem to even be a plan…So, my ship is taking on water. I am getting crushed by debt…

“I am lucky because I have so many friends in Charlotte and in the Southeast who own restaurants who’ve had to shut their restaurants. What people may not understand is that when a person shuts their business, they’re still paying — they still have to pay rent until the end of their lease…It’s a lot of pressure and so many people as Senator Marcus said, through no fault of their own, have had to call it quits, to stop the financial bleeding as much as possible….

“Who knows what the future holds, we just don’t. Under the current administration, there’s no plan. There’s no feeling of safety or security, or just hang in there. I feel very much that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would give us that — that sense of security that we really really need. And not just give us that sense, but back it up with action and get us back on track.

Gaston County’s Public Health Department
October 19, 2020

Statement on Trump Campaign's Planned Rally

GASTONIA, N.C. – Gaston County’s Public Health Department has not received formal notification of the specifics of President Trump campaign’s planned rally for Wednesday evening at the Gastonia Municipal Airport.

As with any large gathering, the health department continues to recommend social distancing and mask wearing as best practices. Carrying and using hand sanitizer where opportunities to wash one’s hands are not readily available is also important.

The county is unable to comment or speculate on the number of attendees that will be invited to attend the rally. Any questions about specifics regarding the event should be directed to the Trump campaign.
 
###
Gaston County’s Public Health Department
October 29, 2020

Public Notification of Positive COVID-19 Cases at President Trump's Campaign Rally in Gaston County

GASTONIA, N.C. – The Gaston County Department of Health & Human Services is informing the public of two positive COVID-19 cases involving individuals attending the recent campaign rally in Gastonia at the Gaston Municipal Airport on Wednesday, October 21st. These cases are not thought to be an indication of spread from the rally at this time, but rather two independent cases among individuals who were in attendance. 

Routine case investigation and contact tracing protocols are being followed. Other places these individuals have been and other close contacts to these individuals are being notified directly by public health staff. Because of the large number of potential contacts from the rally, and the inability to alert them directly, the community is being notified so they can assess their own risk and take appropriate actions.

Anyone who was in attendance at the rally is encouraged to monitor their symptoms and seek testing if needed. You can find local testing opportunities by visiting www.ncdhhs.com/testingplace or by calling the local Coronavirus Hotline at (704) 862-5303. Additionally, if you attended the rally and have concerns about your underlying health conditions, your personal level of health risk, or if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, we also encourage individuals to contact their primary care physician and seek their guidance.           

The best protection against COVID-19 at this time is to stay at home when you feel sick and observe the 3 Ws:

Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people
Wait 6 feet apart. Avoid close contact.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
 
###