<p>President to stump for Michael Whatley, who is facing an uphill battle against Democrat Roy Cooper for the Senate, as elections are just two weeks away</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email</a></p></li></ul><p>Welcome to the US politics live blog! I’m Shrai Popat and I’ll be bringing you the latest lines from Washington and beyond.</p><p>We start today with Donald Trump’s upcoming to trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he’ll stump for <strong>Michael Whatley</strong>, the Republican nominee for US Senate, facing an uphill battle against <strong>Roy Cooper</strong>, the state’s former Democratic governor who has consistently led Whatley in the polls for the open seat.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/oct/20/donald-trump-midterms-republicans-democrats-north-carolina-latest-updates">Continue reading...</a>