Vice President JD Vance brought big news to western North Carolina. At a rally in Hendersonville, he announced $858 million in additional disaster relief funding from the Department of Transportation to keep rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. The White House’s Rapid Response team shared the moment Tuesday as President Trump heads back to the Tar Heel State.
Vance reminded the crowd that he came to the mountains before he ever took office. “Right after I was elected Vice President of the United States, but before I was sworn in, 20 minutes north of here in Fairview. I hadn’t been sworn in yet, but I will never forget that visit,” he said. “All of you were hurting in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and we knew that we needed to show up for you.” He said the new team wanted the people of the region to know “that we didn’t just care about you, but that we actually were going to fight for you.”
They delivered. “One of the things I’m proudest of is that FEMA committed $7.5 billion to rebuilding all the damage caused by Helene,” Vance said. “It’s going to take years to rebuild the beautiful state that you guys saw suffer after Hurricane Helene. But I’m proud to announce today that thanks to the hard work of President Trump and the advocacy of these fighters, Secretary Sean Duffy, and of course because Michael Whatley would not shut up about it, we’re announcing $858 million in additional disaster relief funding.” Vance said the money will help rebuild eight major corridors destroyed by the storm, including I-40 and the Pigeon River Gorge, NC Newsline reported.
The White House says the Trump record in North Carolina goes far beyond storm recovery. Murders in the state fell 12.4% and robberies 18% in the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier. About 1.9 million North Carolina seniors benefit from the new senior deduction, and average refunds this filing season hit $3,542. JetZero is investing $4.7 billion to build an airplane factory in Greensboro with about 14,560 jobs, the largest job announcement in state history.
Vance was in Hendersonville to campaign for Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who faces Democrat Roy Cooper, and for House candidates Jennifer Balkcom and Laurie Buckhout. President Trump holds a rally in Greenville, N.C. today. As the White House put it, North Carolinians face a clear choice: build on the gains Republicans have delivered, or hand Democrats the power to bring the chaos back.
