Tulsi Gabbard says she'll join Republican party during Trump Rally in Greensboro

Just two weeks before the election, former president Donald Trump held a campaign rally inside the Greensboro Complex. 

Hours before his appearance, supporters of the presidential candidate waited in line outside the coliseum and discussed how a strong economy and border were among their main concerns. 

Among those waiting to see the former president was 19-year-old Halen Holder, a first-time voter and Winston-Salem resident who said he’s dissatisfied with the current cost of living. 

"People who are our age, trying to get a house, they can’t," Holder said. "The renting prices are upping to $1,800 a month. We can’t live on that. You gotta have three times the income just to pay the rent. It’s insane. So you know, we’re tired of it."

Darien Norman, a High Point resident who owns a motorcycle club patch business among others, said he’s seen a rise in the cost of supplies. 

As a father, he says he's worried about his kids.

"Just how much a car costs. You know, it’s ridiculous the prices that people are paying now," Norman said. "I think about like my kids getting out of college and just starting a career. I don’t know how they’re gonna do it. It’s very upside down right now."

Trump took the stage at 7 p.m. He spoke for nearly two hours and focused on his usual talking points including pushing false claims about election fraud during the 2020 election; he likened Vice President Kamala Harris to a dog and proposed a one-year incarceration penalty for burning the U.S. flag. 

The presidential candidate lamented the downturn of the furniture manufacturing industry in North Carolina.

"I loved what you did for furniture," Trump said. "Isn’t that terrible? I had such a heart for furniture here. It’s hard to come back, it’s hard to come back, but we’re gonna bring it back. We’re gonna bring all of it back, more than you ever had before."

He was joined by multiple local Republican leaders including District 5 Rep. Virginia Foxx. 

Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman and presidential candidate, also joined Trump on stage. The Democrat-turned-independent shocked the crowd when she announced for the first time that she would be joining the Republican party. 
 

Santiago Ochoa covers healthcare for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow him on X and Instagram: @santi8a98