JD Vance to host town hall in Greensboro, criticizing Harris on immigration and Helene
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is coming back to North Carolina this week, this time to host a town hall in Greensboro.
Doors for the town hall at the Koury Convention Center will open at 4 p.m. on Thursday, with Vance slated to speak at 6 p.m. Topics will likely include the economy, illegal immigration and Hurricane Helene.
The remnants of Hurricane Helene, which began to be felt in North Carolina on the last Thursday of September, devastated the western part of the state, bringing historic flooding, destruction and death.
The Trump campaign has heavily politicized the ongoing recovery efforts. Most recently, former President Donald Trump, during a town hall meeting in Fayetteville on Friday night, said that the federal government’s response to the devastating storm had been “terrible.” The news release announcing Vance’s town hall said Vice President Kamala Harris “completely left North Carolinians behind in the wake of devastation post-Hurricane Helene.”
The Harris campaign responded to Vance by pointing to Harris’s comments about Trump being “extraordinarily irresponsible” in pushing “disinformation” about Helene relief aid.
Many on social media platforms like X have also taken to criticizing the response despite federal responders working in the area alongside their local and state counterparts. Conspiracy theories have also spread on social media.
President Joe Biden surveyed the damage in North Carolina by air on Wednesday and pledged more resources. Harris visited Charlotte on Saturday, announcing Mecklenburg County would also be eligible for federal disaster aid.
The Trump campaign’s news release hones in on the fiscal impact of immigrants living in the United States without legal authorization, citing research by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonprofit, anti-immigration organization.
“While Kamala Harris continues to ignore these critical issues,” says the release, Trump “has a proven track record of putting North Carolinians first.”
“President Trump understands the importance of lowering taxes, securing the border and stopping the unchecked flow of illegal immigration that drains resources from American citizens. President Trump has always fought for the people, and he will continue to fight to restore economic stability, security, and prosperity in North Carolina,” says the release.
Vance’s visit to Greensboro is his fifth trip to North Carolina since becoming Trump’s running mate.
In mid-September, he held a rally in Raleigh. Before that, he was with Trump in Asheboro. He has also visited Greenville twice.
Trump, Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz have also visited the battleground state often this year.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 1:35 PM.
