Gov. Stein: Trump ‘flat out wrong’ about NC crime

A day after President Donald Trump delivered a grim campaign speech in Gastonia, Gov. Josh Stein described Trump’s categorization of North Carolina as “political nonsense.”

In his stump speech for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, Trump portrayed the state as one of the most violent in the nation. He referred to North Carolina as “criminally dangerous,” and described its cities as “blood-soaked killing fields.”

“North Carolina, it was beautiful, it was apple pie, right? And now it’s one of the most violent and one of the worst in the whole nation,” Trump claimed.

Stein said the remarks were intended to generate fear and turn out voters in Whatley’s closely watched race against Democratic former governor Roy Cooper.

“Statistically, he’s just flat out wrong. There are 20 states that have more violent crime than we do,” said Stein on Thursday. “We want to make sure that people are safe and feel safe in this community.”

Stein said his administration has been working on a bipartisan basis with the legislature to improve public safety.

The $34 billion state budget signed by Stein in July included double-digit salary increases for law enforcement. Last October, Stein signed a Republican-led bill aimed at addressing violent crime in North Carolina. The bill, “Iryna’s Law,” is named for Irina Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman who was killed on public transit in Charlotte in August 2025.

‘I am still with that guy’: Whatley doubles down on Trump at North Carolina event (opens in a new tab)

Trump also wrongly said Wednesday that Cooper released DeCarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in Zarutska’s death. That claim has been debunked (opens in a new tab).

Stein said Trump’s misleading claims do not advance the debate about how best to keep citizens safe.