Trump to Hold Midterm Rally Tuesday at Pitt-Greenville Airport; Senate Hopeful Whatley to Speak

As of 11:32 a.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

President Donald Trump will hold a midterm rally Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Pitt-Greenville Airport, 400 Airport Road, in Greenville, N.C., according to the event's official registration page and The Daily Reflector, which cited a Republican National Committee announcement.

Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. ET. The Reflector reports the program begins at 5:30 p.m.. Published door times vary. The official event page lists doors at 3:30 p.m. in its header and 3 p.m. in its schedule section. The Reflector and Carolina Journal say 3:30 p.m., while The Herald Sun says 3 p.m.. Attendees should check the event page before leaving.

Tickets are free but required, with up to four per signup. The event page says registrants get a confirmation text message and aren't registered until they verify by phone. The event page is paid for by the Trump 47 Committee.

Who's speaking

Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, is scheduled to speak at the rally, his campaign told the Reflector. "We all know President Trump drives N.C. GOP turnout better than anyone else," Whatley campaign spokesman D.J. Griffin said.

The Reflector says this will be Trump's fifth appearance in Greenville and his second rally at the airport. An earlier report had placed the event at East Carolina University's Minges Coliseum. The RNC's airport announcement supersedes it.

The Senate race

Whatley, a former chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, faces former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The Herald Sun reported that Whatley trailed Cooper by 14 points in a WRAL and WSOC-TV poll released this past week, with Cooper at 54%, and that the Cook Political Report rates the race "likely Democrat". The Reflector reported that Whatley has consistently trailed Cooper in polling. It also said, citing several outlets, that Whatley recently paused his TV ads, which his campaign attributed to adjustments, and that a top political action committee moved money out of North Carolina to a Senate race in Kansas, as the Associated Press and others reported.

Trump last campaigned for Whatley at Gastonia Municipal Airport on Sept. 16, according to Carolina Journal. Vice President JD Vance rallied for Whatley in Greensboro on Sept. 21, and The Herald Sun reports Vance is expected in Hendersonville at noon Monday.

Why it matters

The rally comes two weeks before Election Day, during in-person early voting, which began Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 3.