President Trump attacked Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper’s record on violent crime during a rally Wednesday in Gastonia, North Carolina, comparing him unfavorably to 1988 presidential candidate Michael Dukakis.
Trump recalled how Dukakis’ campaign collapsed after Massachusetts convict Willie Horton, released on a weekend furlough while Dukakis was governor, went on to rape a woman twice. “He was going to win easily, but he allowed a man named Willie Horton out of jail,” Trump told the crowd. “He ended up losing the race because of that one incident, because he allowed a dirty, rotten killer to come out and rape and kill .. same as what you have over here.”
Trump then argued Cooper’s record was worse. “But in a way, this is worse, because Dukakis let Willie Horton out, but Cooper let Decarlos Brown out plus 3,500 other hardened and dangerous criminals,” he said.
The comments reference a February 2021 settlement between Cooper’s administration and civil rights groups that led to the release of at least 3,500 convicts in North Carolina. A review found more than 600 of those released later committed serious felonies, including homicides, sex offenses and other violent crimes.
Among the cases cited by Trump is Decarlos Brown, who has been charged with murdering 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train in August 2025. Brown had previously served time for larceny, breaking and entering, and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was included on a list of inmates slated for release under the settlement, though records show he was actually freed from prison months earlier.
Trump called Cooper a “murderer and criminal protector” during the rally and urged voters to back Republican candidate Michael Whatley instead.
“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.
Cooper, the former North Carolina governor, and Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, are competing for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis. Political analysts consider the race one of the most likely Republican-held seats to flip Democratic in the 2026 midterms.
According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Cooper currently holds a 7.8 percentage point lead over Whatley.
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