Trump targets Roy Cooper over pandemic prison release record

North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper holds a nine-point lead over Republican challenger Michael Whatley just 22 days before the midterms, according to polling figures covered by The Daily Beast on October 12, 2026. President Donald Trump marked Columbus Day with a Truth Social attack targeting Cooper over his record on crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing sharp pushback from the Democrat’s campaign.

The race for the Senate seat currently held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has tightened as national Republicans scramble to protect their majority. A RealClearPolitics average covering September 6 to October 10 places Cooper at 49.9 percent compared to Whatley at 40.9 percent, threatening a seat in a state that voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Truth Social Attack On Cooper’s Pandemic Record

Trump attacked Cooper in a lengthy post on October 12, 2026, claiming the former North Carolina governor freed 83 murderers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 51 serving life sentences, and alleged that 25 of those individuals committed murder after their release. Trump compared the controversy to the 1988 presidential campaign, when George H.W. Bush’s team attacked Michael Dukakis over a prison furlough program.

Governor Michael Dukakis lost his insurmountable lead in the 1988 Presidential Race because he released Willie Horton, who went on to immediately rape and kill three women. What Former Governor Roy Cooper did is, believe it or not, far more consequential.

Donald Trump

FactCheck.org reported that the 51 inmates serving life sentences were part of a group eligible for parole under a prison settlement, but state officials noted those inmates were already eligible and were not made eligible by the agreement itself. Cooper’s campaign stated that law enforcement officials and parole officers made the release decisions rather than Cooper personally.

Cooper Campaign Responds To Falsified Claims

The campaign asserted that Whatley and his Washington, D.C., allies are using heinous crimes to deceive voters because they are getting desperate.

The Cooper campaign countered by pointing to Cooper’s record as state attorney general, emphasizing his work prosecuting criminal cases, signing tough-on-crime laws, opposing defunding the police, working with Republicans to strengthen bail laws, and partnering with Trump to combat fentanyl. Cooper’s team also criticized Whatley for appointing and campaigning with convicted child sex predators.

Midterm Stakes In North Carolina

With Cooper leading in the polls, Whatley and his allies have made public safety a central issue to challenge Cooper’s moderate image.