Trump to speak at North Carolina GOP convention

Former President Trump is set to speak at the North Carolina state GOP convention next month as Republicans in the state prepare for next year’s midterm elections. 

“We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms,” North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. 

Trump will address the convention dinner on June 5 in Greenville. 

The development comes as Trump, who has not confirmed whether he will run for president in 2024, tightens his grip on the GOP.

The former president’s presence at the event will likely foreshadow the role he will play in galvanizing the Republican base ahead of the midterms. Democrats have increasingly made inroads in the southern state in recent years, winning the governor’s mansion in 2016. 

However, Republicans narrowly defended the state in last year’s presidential elections. Trump won the Tar Heel State by just over a point last year, while incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) defeated Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham by less than 2 points. 

This time around, Democrats are eyeing retiring Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-N.C.) seat as they prepare to defend and grow their narrow Senate majority in 2022. 

Trump’s own daughter-in-law has yet to rule out a Republican bid for the seat.