GASTONIA, N.C. — President Donald Trump leaned heavily into law and order as he worked to build support for the Republican candidate in a North Carolina race that could decide which party controls the Senate for the back half of his second term.
\n\nSpeaking at an airport rally Wednesday, Trump said Democrats coddle criminals, peppering his hourlong speech with graphic details of violent crimes that he said are an outgrowth of Democratic policies.
\n\nHe used visual aids to draw visceral reactions aimed at stoking antipathy to the Democratic candidate, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. At one point, an oversize video screen displayed mug shots of unnamed criminal suspects. The Republican running against Cooper, Michael Whatley, will make the streets safer, Trump said.
\n\n“You can either vote for Roy Cooper to set loose criminals who rape and murder your children and your population, or you can vote for Michael Whatley to protect and defend your children and your population,” Trump said.
\n\nOne of the speakers who preceded Trump was Todd Blanche, the U.S. attorney general. It’s a break from tradition for the attorney general to appear at partisan political rallies, but Trump has eroded some of the post-Watergate norms that…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business