For a fact-check, see Fact-Check: Trump Rocky Mount Rally Claims (December 19, 2025). Assistance from Claude AI.
Summary
President Donald Trump returned to Rocky Mount, North Carolina on December 19, 2025, for a wide-ranging political rally where he announced dramatic prescription drug price reductions negotiated directly with pharmaceutical companies and foreign nations, claiming savings of 300-600% for Americans. The president touted his first-year economic achievements including record-low inflation announced just the day before, 53,000 new North Carolina jobs, and what he called “the most successful first year of any president in the history of our country.” Trump also endorsed Michael Whatley for Senate, announced precision military strikes against ISIS in Syria in retaliation for recent attacks, detailed new tax cut initiatives including “Trump accounts” for newborns, and criticized the Biden administration’s hurricane response while taking credit for North Carolina’s recovery. The president spent considerable time discussing healthcare reform, border security achievements, and his vision for what he termed “the golden age of America.”
Participants and Speakers
Main Speaker:
- Donald Trump – President of the United States (45th and 47th President)
Featured Speakers:
- Michael Whatley – Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from North Carolina, former Chair of the Republican National Committee, former North Carolina Republican Party Chair
- Brad Knott – U.S. Congressman from North Carolina
- Tim Moore – North Carolina State official/Congressman
Featured Citizens:
- Heather Woodland – Bartender and server from Nashville, North Carolina
- Austin Harding – Police officer from Monroe, North Carolina
- Carolyn and Charles Thurston – Small business owners providing senior care
Administration Officials Present:
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer – U.S. Secretary of Labor
- Bill Pulte – Director of Federal Housing Finance Agency
Other Officials Mentioned:
- Phil Berger – North Carolina State Senator
- Senator Ted Budd – U.S. Senator from North Carolina
- Senator Thom Tillis – U.S. Senator from North Carolina
Political Figures Referenced:
- Don Davis – Democratic U.S. Congressman from the district, criticized by Trump
- Mike Lindell – MyPillow CEO, announced as running for Minnesota Governor
- Lara Trump – Former RNC Co-Chair, Trump’s daughter-in-law
- Marjorie Taylor Greene – U.S. Congresswoman (criticized by Trump as “Marjorie Trader Brown”)
Tribute:
- Greg Biffle – NASCAR legend who died in plane crash with his family (condolences expressed)
Opening Remarks and North Carolina Focus
President Trump opened his rally by expressing enthusiasm for returning to North Carolina, acknowledging what he called an “incredible crowd” and thanking supporters who have attended more than 200 of his rallies. Trump made a point of wishing attendees “a very Merry Christmas,” noting that when he first started in 2016, there was resistance to saying “Merry Christmas” which he claimed to have reversed. The crowd’s enthusiasm set the tone for a rally that would touch on dozens of policy areas over the course of nearly 90 minutes.
Trump immediately pivoted to celebrating what he characterized as “11 incredible months” and “the most successful first year of any president in the history of our country.” He emphasized that this assessment wasn’t just his opinion but was being reported widely, asking rhetorically, “Who could have done better? I don’t think anybody could have done better. Than us. Not me, than us. We’re all, we’re in this together.”
Historic Drug Pricing Announcement
The Favored Nations Policy
The centerpiece of Trump’s rally was an extensive discussion of what he called the biggest development in medicine “since the founding of our country” – a new drug pricing policy he branded as “Most Favored Nation” pricing. According to Trump, he had just hours earlier left a White House meeting where he finalized agreements with major pharmaceutical companies to cut prescription drug costs by “300, 400, 500, and even 600%.”
Trump explained the policy in detail for the audience. For years, he said, Americans have been paying the highest drug prices anywhere in the world – sometimes 10 to 15 times more than other countries pay for “the exact same drug made in the exact same plant, in the exact same country.” Under his new executive order, which he said he signed a couple months ago and is now being implemented, “the United States will now pay the same price as the lowest price of any country anywhere in the world.”
International Negotiations and Tariff Threats
The president provided a colorful account of his negotiations with foreign leaders, particularly focusing on France and French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump described telling foreign leaders they would have to “double or triple your prices for drugs,” which they initially refused. When asked why he was so certain they would comply, Trump said he told them: “Because if you don’t do it, I’m gonna charge you a 25% tariff on everything you sell into America.”
Trump recounted the conversation with Macron: “There was dead silence on the phone. And then when the gentleman, Emmanuel, is a wonderful guy, when he spoke, he said, ‘You have a deal. You have a goal.’ He’s a nice guy too, but you can’t blame him, you know, it’s been 40, 50 years, you can’t blame him.”
According to Trump, foreign countries had been paying as little as $10 for drugs that Americans paid $130 for – a 13-times difference. Under the new system, he explained, the foreign price might rise from $10 to $20 or $30, while the American price would drop from $130 to $20. This represented what he characterized as the most significant price reduction in history.
Implementation and TrumpRx.gov
Trump announced that nine “blockbuster agreements” had been signed with major drug companies that day, with more companies coming in the following weeks. He said the “first dramatic drug discounts will be available to all Americans starting on January” at a new website called TrumpRx.gov.
The president emphasized that this achievement would have tremendous spillover effects on healthcare costs overall, estimating that drugs probably constitute 50% of healthcare expenses. He suggested this single achievement “alone should win us the midterms” and claimed no previous administration had even attempted such negotiations. Trump noted that he had tried to implement this during his first term but was delayed by COVID-19, saying it was “sort of hard to go after France and Italy” when “everyone was dying” from the pandemic.
Healthcare Reform and Insurance Industry Criticism
Attacking the Affordable Care Act
Beyond drug pricing, Trump launched an extensive critique of the Affordable Care Act, which he consistently referred to as either “Barack Hussein Obamacare” or the “Unaffordable Care Act” – a rebranding he said deserved credit. Trump argued that Obamacare “was created to make insurance companies rich” and provided “bad healthcare at much too higher cost.”
Trump pointed to insurance companies whose stock prices had increased by 1,400% to 1,700%, asking the crowd, “How many people have ever bought a stock that went up 1,700%?” He said the Democrat Party is “totally controlled by the insurance companies, big wealthy companies,” which is why there could be a government shutdown on January 30th over healthcare policy.
Direct Payment Proposal
The president outlined an alternative vision he’s been promoting: “I want the money to go directly to the people so you could buy your own healthcare and you’ll get much better healthcare at a much lower price. And the only losers will be the insurance companies that have gotten rich.”
Trump explained that he had wanted to implement this approach in 2016 but was told by politicians not to pursue it because he was inexperienced in government. Now, he said, “I’m quite experienced. I’ve seen things that nobody would’ve thought possible.” He expressed frustration that Democrats would likely shut down the government rather than accept a system where money goes directly to citizens instead of insurance companies.
Potential Insurance Company Negotiations
Interestingly, Trump revealed a new strategy during the rally. After watching pharmaceutical company executives at the White House being cooperative and “giving free medicine,” he said he’s decided to try a similar approach with insurance companies. He announced plans to meet with approximately 12-14 major insurance company executives either in Florida or Washington “the first week after we all come back” from the holidays.
Trump suggested he might ask them for a 50% cost reduction, reasoning, “Maybe they’ll surprise us… You saw what happened with the drug companies. They wanna give, they’re giving free drugs… they do love our country. And I probably think the insurance company guys love our country. They just felt they were dealing with stupid people, so you can’t really blame them.”
Tax Cuts and Economic Initiatives
No Tax on Tips, Overtime, and Social Security
Trump devoted significant time to explaining his tax cut proposals, emphasizing three major components: no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on social security for our great seniors. He introduced Heather Woodland, a bartender and server from Nashville, North Carolina, who he said would save over $5,000 from the elimination of taxes on tips, money she’s using toward a down payment on her first home.
Woodland briefly addressed the crowd, saying, “It’s been a tremendous help. It’s now allowed me to invest in my first home. And that is the American dream for all of us.” Trump also featured Austin Harding, a police officer from Monroe raising a son with autism, who Trump said would save “many thousands of dollars” from no tax on overtime to help care for his son. The president noted that Austin and his wife are “passionate supporters of MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Additionally, Trump highlighted Carolyn and Charles Thurston, who run a small business providing care to senior citizens. Beyond making their small business tax deduction permanent, Trump said the elimination of overtime taxes means “their employees will have much higher take home pay, and that makes their job a lot easier.”
Trump Accounts for Newborns
The president unveiled a new program called “Trump accounts” – investment savings accounts that the federal government will create for every newborn American child, funded initially with $1,000 that will be invested and grow over the child’s lifetime. Trump said friends, family, employers, and loved ones will be able to contribute thousands more each year, “like a trust fund for every American child.”
By age 21, Trump suggested, these accounts could grow substantially, saying the children “will consider themselves rich.” He gave particular credit to Michael Dell of Dell Computer, who Trump said contributed “six billion, 250 million” to launch the program. Trump emphasized that “every single Democrat in Congress voted against these incredible benefits,” including local Congressman Don Davis.
Economic Achievements and Statistics
Inflation and Job Creation
Trump opened his economic discussion by highlighting inflation news from the previous day, saying it was “announced that inflation is far lower than anybody expected” and beat “everyone of the 61 forecast from the so-called geniuses.” He claimed the country now has “the lowest core inflation since March of 2021” despite taking in “billions and billions and billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs.”
For North Carolina specifically, Trump cited the creation of “more than 53,000 North Carolina jobs, including 8,000 North Carolina construction jobs” since his inauguration. He also claimed that “more than 150,000 North Carolina residents have been lifted off of food stamps.”
Regarding job creation more broadly, Trump made a striking claim: “100%, just came out, 100% of all jobs created since I took office have been in the private sector, the only way to make our country great.” He contrasted this with the Biden administration, saying “tens of thousands of new jobs under Biden were government jobs” and that he could easily manipulate unemployment numbers by hiring hundreds of thousands of government workers but that “that’s the destruction of a country.”
The president claimed to have reduced the federal workforce by 270,000 jobs, emphasizing this wasn’t “to be mean” but to get workers “off” government payrolls and into private sector jobs, where the administration is helping them transition.
Investment and Economic Growth
Trump compared his 10 months in office to the entire four-year Biden term: “In four years, the last administration secured less than one trillion dollars in new investments in our country… In 10 months, I have secured a record-breaking $18 trillion, more.”
He touted ending “the radical left’s war on American energy” and signing an order to “drill, baby drill,” noting that gasoline was “now substantially lower than $2.50 a gallon, and many, many places now are under $2 a gallon.” Trump also claimed that “within the next 12 months, we will have opened 1,600 new electrical generating plants” to meet the electricity demands of AI and new manufacturing plants.
Price Reductions
Using charts that he said most networks didn’t show (except Fox), Trump highlighted various price decreases:
- Thanksgiving turkey prices were down 33% compared to the Biden era
- Egg prices were down 82% since March
- Mortgage costs were slashed by $3,000 annually
- General gasoline, hotel rates, and airfare that had increased 30-75% under Biden were “all coming down”
Trump emphasized that “wages are rising much faster than inflation for the first time in many years,” which he called the key metric of economic success.
North Carolina Hurricane Response
Trump made repeated references to North Carolina’s hurricane recovery, characterizing it as “your horrible hurricane, which produced more water damage than any hurricane in history.” He sharply criticized Democrats’ response: “The Democrats let you down. They really did. Remember they wouldn’t do anything.”
According to Trump, affected residents “had to wait till January 20th when I took office that we really knocked the hell out of it.” He claimed that his first action upon taking office on January 20th was making “North Carolina phone calls and we did a hell of a job.” Trump added pointedly, “You’d still be sitting in the mud if I didn’t get elected.”
The president criticized North Carolina’s previous Democratic governor as “a disaster” and “radical left,” blaming him for not helping with hurricane recovery. Trump also credited Elon Musk for providing critical communication infrastructure during the recovery. When Trump said he needed 500 units of Musk’s communication system (likely Starlink), which weren’t readily available, Musk reportedly said, “You’ll have them tomorrow.” Trump commented, “Gotta give him credit for that, you know?”
Border Security and Immigration
Zero Illegal Immigration Claim
One of Trump’s boldest claims centered on border security. He stated, “For the past seven months, zero illegal aliens have been allowed into our country. Think of that, zero.” Trump characterized this as “a feat which everyone said was impossible,” contrasting it with the Biden administration which he said “turned North Carolina into a dumping ground for tens of thousands of third world migrants.”
Trump cited a government report claiming “over 60% of growth in the rental market came from foreign migrants paid for by the federal government, by the way. Paid for by the federal government, you, the taxpayer.” He argued that “mass migration fueled mass inflation” but claimed his administration is now fixing it with “record setting deportations.”
Focus on Criminal Aliens
The president emphasized that deportation efforts are “really focused on the bad people,” specifically targeting “the murderers, the drug dealers… the ones from prisons.” He claimed that under Biden, the country was invaded by “an army of 25 million people” who came “from prisons and jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums.”
Trump made a distinction between types of facilities: “Do you know the difference between a prison and a jail? A prison’s more severe, right? You know the difference between a mental institution and an insane asylum? An insane asylum is more severe. They came from both.” He claimed these included “drug dealers, gang members, and over 13,000 murderers, more than 50% of whom killed more than one person.”
Violent Crime in North Carolina
Trump spent considerable time on specific violent crimes in North Carolina, attributing increased violence to illegal immigration. He described one case: “An illegal alien from Honduras who entered under Biden, walked onto a train in Charlotte with a large knife and brutally stabbed a passenger multiple times in the chest.” Trump noted this criminal “had previously been arrested two months earlier, but he was released by authorities to pillage and kill, which he did.”
The president gave extensive attention to another case involving “a monstrous criminal with 14 prior arrests” who “plunged a knife into the throat of an innocent, young, beautiful girl” from Ukraine who was on a train. Trump described the victim’s visible fear and the attack from behind, noting passengers saw the attacker “dripping with blood all over” from the knife.
Trump said emphatically, “What happened to North Carolina? You didn’t have that condition,” blaming these crimes on Democratic leadership and illegal immigration under Biden.
Job Competition Claims
Trump also addressed economic impacts of immigration, claiming that “in the year before my election, all net job creation was going to foreign migrants. All of it, 100%. Since I took office, 100% of all net job creation has gone to American-born citizens.”
Senate Race: Michael Whatley Endorsement
Trump used substantial rally time to endorse and promote Michael Whatley for Senate, praising him extensively as the architect of North Carolina’s election security in 2020 and the former RNC chair who helped deliver Trump’s 2024 victory.
Whatley’s Background and Accomplishments
Trump recounted how Whatley, as North Carolina Republican Party chair, ensured the state didn’t experience the election problems Trump alleged occurred in other states in 2020. “The only good thing is this is a far better term than it would’ve been had I done it the more traditional way,” Trump said, referring to serving non-consecutive terms.
According to Trump, Whatley hired “601 lawyers” who were stationed at “every single ballot box” to prevent cheating. Trump contrasted this with other states where he claimed ballots appeared mysteriously: “You remember they have ballots all of a sudden, ‘We just found 75,000 ballots.’ A total rigged deal.”
Trump described his decision to make Whatley RNC chair: “I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m doing this again, but if I’m doing this again, I want Mi- — Michael Whatley.’ I said, ‘The guy from North Carolina, I want him to head the Republican National Committee, the RNC.’” Trump praised Whatley’s partnership with Lara Trump as co-chairs, noting they delivered the 2024 election victory.
Whatley’s Senate Campaign
Trump characterized Whatley’s opponent, the current Democratic governor, as someone who “did a shitty job for you” and is “radical left.” Trump asked Whatley a series of quick questions:
- “Are you in favor of men in women’s sports?” “I am not.”
- “Are you in favor of transgender for everybody?” “I am not.”
- “Are you in favor of open borders?” “No.”
Whatley gave his own speech, pledging: “When I win this seat, when I am the next senator from North Carolina, I am gonna be a fighter every day for this great state. I am going to be a conservative champion for North Carolina, and I am going to be an ally to our great president.”
Trump emphasized the stakes: “He’s just, he’s a good man. And he represents your values, that I can tell you.”
Criticism of Democrats and Political Opponents
Don Davis
Trump repeatedly attacked local Democratic Congressman Don Davis, saying he “voted against it” regarding all the tax cut proposals. Trump claimed Davis “voted against no tax on overtime. He voted against no tax on tips, and he voted for the largest tax increase in American history.”
Trump also criticized Davis for his hurricane response: “Don Davis did nothing about the flood. He did nothing about the hurricane. I did it all with your, your congressmen and with a couple of Republicans from your state that put their lives on the line to make sure this got done.”
Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Fraud
In a particularly heated section, Trump discussed alleged fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, claiming “nine billion dollars” was stolen, “and they think that’s just the beginning.” Trump said, “In their country, they live on nothing. They have nothing. They come here and they steal nine billion dollars. Are we stupid?”
Trump attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar directly: “Ilhan Omar should be sent out of our country. She should be, she should not be allowed to be a Congresswoman. She married her brother, either to stay or to get him into the country.” He accused her of fabricating a story about police harassing her son, saying the police denied it ever happened.
Trump also criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as “a stupid person and a corrupt. He’s corrupt and stupid” for allegedly allowing the fraud to continue. He praised Mike Lindell (MyPillow CEO) who is running for Minnesota governor, saying Lindell “suffered” for questioning the 2020 election results and “deserves to be governor of Minnesota.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene
In a surprising turn, Trump sharply criticized former ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he dubbed “Marjorie Trader Brown” (because “Green turns to Brown under stress”). Trump explained their falling out stemmed from his inability to return all her phone calls: “You can’t call a president every single day, and then when the president doesn’t call you back, she goes around saying, ‘He doesn’t call me back.’”
Trump said Greene dropped out of her re-election race because he wasn’t going to endorse her and “the person I would’ve endorsed was gonna kill her in the polls.” He accused her of becoming “a stone-cold liberal” who now appears on CNN regularly, saying “you can’t go from being a strong conservative to a stone-cold liberal unless you were lying.”
Media Criticism
Trump attacked multiple media outlets throughout the rally:
- Called ABC “the worst” of networks and referenced George Stephanopoulos paying him “about 16 million”
- Criticized NBC as “horrible”
- Mocked CBS and their treatment of him on 60 Minutes
- Called out specific journalists and shows as “fake news”
- Noted that Chris Christie was fired from ABC, replaced by “a great young woman taking his place, who happens to be Hispanic and happens to be phenomenal”
Tariffs and Trade Policy
Trump discussed his tariff strategy extensively, calling tariff “my fifth favorite word” (after initially calling it his favorite, which generated criticism about prioritizing it over religion, God, family, wife, and children).
North Carolina Furniture Industry
Trump expressed personal connection to North Carolina’s furniture industry, recounting how he used to visit frequently when building hotels and other properties. He described North Carolina craftsmen as “artists” and “artisans,” detailing how they would customize furniture pieces for him on the spot: “I’d say, ‘No, no, can you give a different curve? Can you do a little more carving at the end about’ They would right in front of me, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. They were like geniuses.”
The industry “went to China and other places, but mostly to China because they never put tariffs on,” Trump said. To save it, he “approved 25, 30%, and 50% tariffs to save North Carolina’s cherished furniture industry, which has been decimated by China.”
Automotive and Manufacturing
Trump announced tariffs aimed at protecting American workers:
- 25% tariffs on foreign automobiles
- 50% tariffs on foreign steel
- Various tariffs on furniture imports
He claimed these policies are bringing manufacturing back: “You lost 58% of your car industry. By the way, it’s all coming back. Some of it’s coming back here. It’s all coming back. Because to bring a car into our country is costing 25 to 50% tariffs now and they can’t do it.”
Foreign Policy and Military Actions
ISIS Strikes in Syria
Trump made a major announcement about military action: “Just two hours ago, we hit the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup after their decimation by the Trump Administration five years ago.” He said he “ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great Patriots last week. Two soldiers, one interpreter, all great people.”
According to Trump, “it was very successful. It was precision. We hit every site flawlessly, and we are restoring peace through strength.” This was in response to what he called “the terrorism attack from three weeks ago,” referencing victims named Sarah and another injured person who Trump said miraculously “stood up today for the first time” after doctors thought he wouldn’t survive.
Peace Achievements
Trump claimed extraordinary diplomatic success: “I settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat, ended the war in Gaza, and got the release of hostages, both living and dead, and created peace in the Middle East.”
He emphasized, “We have peace in the Middle East, first time in three years, peace in the Middle East.”
Social Issues
Transgender Policies
Trump spent considerable time on transgender issues, particularly emphasizing two policies:
- Banning medical interventions for minors: “We completely banned the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.” Trump expressed amazement at having to address this in 2025: “Can you believe I’m standing here, 2025, talking about I banned the surgical mutilation of children? Could you imagine 15 years ago saying that?”
- Women’s sports: Trump provided multiple examples:
- A long-distance race where a biological male “won the race by five hours and 14 minutes and 12 seconds”
- Weightlifting competitions where athletes “are lifting 112 pounds more, and they’ve never done it before”
- Olympic boxing where an Italian female boxer quit after being hit with “a left jab” from a biological male competitor, saying “I’ve never been hit like that. I quit.”
Trump called these situations “so demeaning to women” and criticized Democrats for continuing to support allowing biological males in women’s sports.
Education Policy
Trump stated he “cut federal funding for any school that pushes critical race theory or transgender insanity,” positioning this as protecting children from ideological indoctrination.
Symbolic Actions: Gulf of America and Mount McKinley
Trump announced two geographical renamings:
- Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America
- Restoring the name Mount McKinley in Alaska (which had been changed during the Obama administration)
He explained these weren’t priorities during his first term “because I was the hunted. I had bigger problems. I had these animals trying to attack me at Mar-a-Lago.”
Mar-a-Lago Raid Discussion
Trump devoted substantial time to discussing the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence, providing unusual details. He described how agents went through his wife Melania’s belongings, emphasizing her meticulousness: “Everything is perfect. Her undergarments is nice. Sometimes referred to as panties — are folded. Perfect. Wrapped. They’re like so perfect.”
When they returned home after the raid, Trump said Melania “opened the drawers and it, it was not that way. They were a mess. It was all over the place.” He characterized the raid as illegal and disgusting, saying “We have all the evidence now. We have all the evidence and we have to do something about it.”
Trump mentioned he has a lawsuit against the government over the raid: “There’s only one problem, I’m the one that has to settle it. In other words, I am suing and I’m the one that’s supposed to settle it.” He joked about potentially awarding himself $1 billion and giving it to charity.
Health and Cognitive Testing
Trump discussed his health transparency extensively, saying he’s taken “more physicals” than any president “because I think you have an obligation to, you know, report” when there’s false information circulating.
Cognitive Testing Details
Trump revealed he’s taken three cognitive tests, describing them in detail: “The first question is like, ‘What is this?’ And they show a lion, a giraffe, a fish and a hippopotamus, right? And they say, ‘Which is the giraffe?’ So that’s the only question.” But then “it gets harder.”
He emphasized these weren’t easy tests administered at local facilities: “This is Walter Reed, you know, they’ve got a whole team of doctors all over the place.” Trump said he “aced” all three tests and argued that requiring cognitive tests for presidents and vice presidents should be standard practice.
Trump contrasted himself with Biden: “Could you imagine Sleepy Joe taking a cognitive test? I don’t think it’d get the fir- — you know, the first question.” He speculated Biden would fail even the animal identification question.
Physical Health Claims
Trump said he received reports of “perfect health” but noted the media tries to reinterpret even clear statements: “They reported, ‘His health is perfect.’ And they interpret that, and the fake news interprets, when the doctor says, ‘He’s got perfect health,’ they go, ‘What does he mean by perfect?’”
He promised transparency about any future health changes: “There will be a time when perhaps I won’t be 100%. True with all of us, right? And when that time comes, I will let you know about it. In fact, you’ll probably find out about it just by watching. But that time is not now, because I feel the same that I felt for 50 years.”
Praise for Congressional Allies
Trump featured several North Carolina congressmen who supported hurricane relief:
Brad Knott spoke about Trump’s commitment to North Carolina, noting that the president’s first trip after inauguration was to the state, and his first rally of the midterm season was also in North Carolina. Knott told the crowd, “I have been amazed at how hard the president is fighting for you. So let me just, let me say this simply and with my whole heart, stay with us. We hear you, and we’re gonna keep fighting for you.”
Tim Moore praised Trump effusively: “I cannot think of a better president in the history of the United States. Someone who loves this country, who does so much. Mr. President, I don’t know how you do it all. You, you, you make the Energizer Bunny look slow.” He added, “We are finally respected around the world again, and that is not an accident.”
Trump also thanked:
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor, saying she’s done an “unbelievable” job
- Bill Pulte, Director of Federal Housing Finance Agency, calling his work “phenomenal”
- State Senator Phil Berger
- Senator Ted Budd for “doing a very good job”
- Senator Thom Tillis who “fought with me for the Lumbee Tribe”
The Lumbee Tribe
Trump made special mention of the Lumbee Tribe, asking Lumbee leaders in attendance to stand. He said he’s “been with ’em from the beginning. We got ’em, we got ’em across the finish line” and emphasized the need to “get every one of those 60,000 votes” for Republican candidates.
Election Integrity and 2024 Victory
Trump recounted his 2024 election victory at length, claiming “we won every swing state. We won the popular vote. We won by like 312 to 200 and something and like low 200. And we won everything. We won districts, the word district. We won districts by 2,750 to 525.”
He emphasized the election was “too big to rig,” explaining, “They tried like hell. They gave up at about 9:02. It was too big. It was just a landslide. They couldn’t do it. They cheated a lot. But we made it too big to rig.”
Trump compared 2016 and 2024, asking the crowd which was better. When discussing Hillary Clinton versus Kamala Harris, Trump said Clinton “has probably 50 or 60 points higher” IQ, adding, “Now, Hillary was smart. She was nasty.”
Looking Ahead: “The Golden Age of America”
Trump concluded with a forward-looking message about national renewal. He claimed that one year ago “our country was dead” but now “we are the hottest country anywhere in the world because we finally have a president who puts America first.”
He outlined a vision he calls the “golden age of America”: “We’re right now, we were a dead country, now we’re talking about the golden age of America. Think of it, in 10 months.”
Trump’s closing emphasized continued action: “Every single day of this administration, we will keep on working for the hardworking citizens of America. We will fight, fight, fight, we will win, win, win. And with your help, we will make America powerful again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America healthy again. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again, and we will make America great again.”
He ended simply: “Thank you, North Carolina. God bless you all. And Merry Christmas.”
Greg Biffle Tribute
Trump paid tribute to NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, who died in a plane crash with his family in Statesville the day before the rally. Trump said he had met Biffle twice and described him as “a great young man” and “what a tragedy that is with his whole family.” Trump asked the crowd for a moment to honor them: “North Carolina will never forget them. He, he was, uh, and his family were incredible people.”
Analysis and Context
This rally demonstrated Trump’s continued focus on economic populism, particularly through healthcare reform and tax cuts targeted at working-class Americans. The drug pricing announcement, if implemented as described, would represent a significant departure from decades of pharmaceutical policy. Trump’s emphasis on negotiating with foreign nations using tariff threats as leverage reflects his consistent “America First” trade philosophy.
The rally also highlighted Trump’s campaign strategy for the 2026 midterms, featuring local candidates like Michael Whatley while attacking Democratic incumbents like Don Davis. His extensive discussion of North Carolina’s hurricane recovery suggests he’s seeking to solidify support in a state that remains competitive in national elections.
Trump’s willingness to criticize former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene demonstrates his approach to political loyalty – allies who he perceives as critical face swift denunciation. The personal nature of many attacks (on weight, intelligence, personal life) remains characteristic of Trump’s political style.
The rally’s length (approximately 88 minutes of Trump speaking) and breadth of topics – from pharmaceutical pricing to transgender policies to geographical renamings – reflects Trump’s preference for wide-ranging, stream-of-consciousness speeches over tightly focused messaging. His use of humor, personal anecdotes, and direct engagement with the crowd maintains the rally format he’s used throughout his political career.
Citation
Trump, Donald J. “Donald Trump Holds a Political Rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina – December 19, 2025.” Speech, Rocky Mount, NC, 19 Dec. 2025. Factbase, www.factba.se. Transcript.