JD Vance Heads to North Carolina as the Lid Comes Off of Trump’s Affordability Crisis

Newly released Navigator polling shows that, thanks to Trump, 84% of battleground constituents said their utility costs have gone up over the past year

Washington, DC – Later today, Vice President JD Vance will be speaking in the Tar Heel State, in what is promising to be a futile attempt to defend Trump’s disastrous, failing second term. While he tries to spin North Carolinians and convince them that somehow the worsening affordability crisis is actually good for North Carolina families, the truth couldn’t be more obvious (and more painful to the pocketbooks of American communities).

Since Trump launched his war of choice with Iran, North Carolina’s gas prices have skyrocketed 26%. And to make matters worse for North Carolinian farmers, the price of fertilizer has increased as much as 35%, right as planting season is about to begin. These alarming numbers don’t even account for the impacts of the first year of Trump’s war on clean energy. To date, North Carolina has seen the cancellation of ten clean energy projects, resulting in 2,635 lost jobs and $2.4 billion in lost investment. So it’s no wonder that residential gas prices have increased by more than 8%, and electricity prices have increased by more than 8%. 

Climate Power Senior Advisor Jesse Lee issued the following statement: “While Vance leaks to reporters that he knew Trump’s war would be a disaster, he will go to North Carolina to explain how great it is and why they shouldn’t worry about the Trump energy cost crisis from the gas pump to their skyrocketing utility bills. Just yesterday, Trump celebrated how much money he and his big oil donors are making off of his war, where Americans are dying, all while economic prosperity grows further out of reach for American families. Trump — and the entire Republican Party — are loyal only to their billionaire donors and their own wallets, and nobody is buying their flailing attempt to avoid accountability in the midterms.”

Donald Trump and Republicans are bad for North Carolina: 

• In September 2025, Natron Energy announced it was shutting down its planned battery manufacturing facility in Edgecombe County. Natron faced troubles due to tariffs and restrictions from Trump’s clean energy cuts. Natron was expected to drive $1.4 billion in investment and 1,062 jobs. 
• Since Trump took office, North Carolina’s residential gas prices have increased by more than 8%, and electricity prices have increased by more than 8%.
• In 2025, at least eleven utilities enacted or proposed rate hikes in North Carolina, totaling over $3.5 billion, affecting over 6.6 million customers.
• By 2035, Trump’s clean energy cuts were expected to raise North Carolinians’ annual energy bills by $490, gasoline bills by $228, and wholesale electricity prices by 110%.
• In 2024, Hurricane Helene became the deadliest storm in North Carolina’s history, with 107 deaths and at least $60 billion in damages. In 2025, Trump canceled the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which threatened nearly 70 projects across the state.
• Former Secretary Noem’s requirement for her personal approval on all FEMA expenses exceeding $100,000 created a $17 billion bottleneck and delayed funds for North Carolina. 
• Trump’s tariffs were expected to increase home insurance costs in North Carolina by $103.