Former Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina, then the nominee to be the next deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla
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Former Rep. Dan Bishop is under consideration to be U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Sen. Thom Tillis confirmed the possibility to McClatchy in an exclusive interview at the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s been discussed,” Tillis said. “He’s probably in the vetting process.”
Bishop, 61, a Republican from Waxhaw, currently serves in the Trump administration as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Both of North Carolina’s senators spoke to McClatchy about the job in exclusive conversations Wednesday, though Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, said he wanted to keep his conversations with Bishop private.
Budd said the acting U.S. attorney’s position is set to expire and “there’s a lot of talent in the pipeline for the job.”
The Middle District of North Carolina spans Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Bishop, who has served in the federal government since 2019, spent three decades as a litigator.
Bishop served from September 2019 to Jan. 3, 2025, in Congress representing a district near Charlotte. In that role, Bishop aligned himself with the far-right House Freedom Caucus, which made major moves last Congress including those leading to the removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy from leadership.
Budd was also a member of the Freedom Caucus before joining the Senate.
Bishop chose to forgo running for reelection in 2024 and focused on a run for state attorney general. He lost 51%-49% against former Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Charlotte. Jackson had opted against his own reelection campaign after Republicans redrew his congressional district to make it all but impossible for Jackson to win.
For Bishop to become U.S. attorney, Trump would need to make the nomination and then would need Senate approval, the same process he went through for his role in OMB. Tillis said with the term of the interim attorney expiring, he expects that nomination to happen soon.
Tillis said he has not personally spoken to Trump about Bishop, but he supports the potential nomination.
“Dan and I knew each other,” Tillis said. “We had differences on legislative priorities, but I actually think he’s a good, solid lawyer, and probably would play a good role as U.S. attorney.”
Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work. Support my work with a digital subscription
“This state was once the beating heart of the nation, but Kamala Harris and the Democrats have sold you out,” Trump said on Tuesday night in Greensboro, North Carolina. Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
GREENSBORO – It was hard not to notice the difference. When United States Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally at the Greensboro Coliseum on September 12, the 22,000 seat stadium was nearly at capacity. For former United States President Donald Trump’s rally on Tuesday, October 22, both the upper deck and the sides of the arena were curtained off, leaving only one side of the lower bowl – and few dozen chairs on the floor – available for seating. There were about 1,000 supporters relegated to standing room only, for a total of about 7,500 in attendance.
Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
Still, the supporters were as loud and as vocal as ever, clad in MAGA hats and tee-shirts, listening to a familiar playlist of approved tunes prior to the beginning of the program. A video was shown on the big screen monitors with a recorded message from Trump making more than a few controversial statements, but ones still consistent with his message.
· He accused the Democrats of cheating, saying it was the only thing Democrats do well.
· He promised to end early voting.
· He said there will be a return to paper ballots.
· He said that what happened in 2020 must never be allowed to happen again – presumably a reference to his claim that the election was rigged and stolen, and that he was the rightful winner.
· He continued to take shots at Harris and President Joe Biden, calling him crooked and her the worst Vice President in history.
Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
Taking the stage before Trump were Peter Navarro, an economic advisor in the Trump Administration, Addison McDowell, congressional candidate from the 6th District, Congresswoman Virginia Fox from the 5th District, and US Senator Ted Budd.
Navarro blamed former President Bill Clinton for signing NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), which he said was the beginning of China’s economic power and the decline of America’s. He compared Harris to Clinton and former President Barack Obama, saying she was “Clinton and Obama in a pants suit.”
He then told the assembled audience that if they yelled loud enough, Trump’s plane would arrive faster. The crowd happily obliged him with a loud ovation. Navarro was the first former White House official ever imprisoned on a Contempt of Congress Charge for his part in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 Election. He served four months in a minimum security prison in Miami.
McDowell then took the stage and blamed the border crisis on Harris.
“This election is personal for me,” McDowell said. “I lost my younger brother to a Fentanyl overdose. I say to Kamala Harris ‘Shame on you’. You have continued to fail us. You have allowed millions of illegal immigrants into our country. It’s time to put America first.”
Congresswoman Fox said we can make history by electing Trump as president 45 and 47. However, if Trump does win this election, he would not be the first man to serve two non-consecutive terms. That would be Grover Cleveland, who was the 22nd and the 24th president.
Senator Budd also attacked Harris, saying that under leadership, our lives are unsafe and unaffordable.
“We have lost our security and the American Dream,” Budd said. “She took our country on a reckless spending spree. She has had four years in office, why didn’t she fix the economy?” Budd asked, neglecting to mention that Harris is the Vice President, not the President.
All of the Trump surrogates advocated for audience members to get out and vote early, and to take 10 people to the polls with them. It was an interesting request considering Trump’s promise that if elected, he would end early voting.
When Trump finally arrived, he opened with a criticism of the federal response to hurricanes Helene and Milton but promised that residents would still be able to vote. The speech then went into a myriad of different topics with his familiar rambling style. He made fun of Kamala Harris’ name, said Biden likes him better than he likes Harris, said Obama was looking old, and called Tim Walz the stupidest man he’s ever seen. He then called his running mate JV Vance a brilliant man.
“Kamala Harris is a radical left lunatic,” Trump said. “We are a failing nation. We won twice here in North Carolina. We won twice everywhere to be honest,” he said, still perpetuating the idea that he won the 2020 election. He then took a moment to call out the fake news, encouraging the crowd to turn and look at the press and boo, as he does at nearly all of his rallies.
“About nine percent of the press are honest people. If we had a press that wrote the truth we would be a lot better as a country,” Trump said.
In an appeal to North Carolina voters, Trump said it was the fault of the Democrats that manufacturing jobs disappeared under their leadership.
“This state was once the beating heart of the nation, but Kamala Harris and the Democrats have sold you out,” Trump said.
He referred to the Green New Deal as a scam, and said he will end it on his first day in office. He called global warming nonsense and warned of impending nuclear war.
“We’re close to World War three,” Trump said. “We have very stupid people running things. If I’m elected, that will not happen.” He also said that Putin would never have attacked Ukraine if he were president.
He vowed to cut energy prices by 50 percent within one year, cut interest rates, gas and grocery prices.
“Our country is being crippled and destroyed by Kamala Harris,” Trump said.
“When I am inaugurated on January 20, America will be bigger, bolder and stronger. We will begin the four greatest years in history.” In his closing remarks, Trump wondered aloud if Harris was drunk, on drugs, and said she lied like a dog. He also mispronounced Tim Walz’ name several times, accused Harris of flying migrant criminals into the country from prisons and insane asylums, and said she was not mentally or physically able to do the job.
“If you want to end this disaster, go out and vote,” Trump said. “This (referring to his campaign) is the single greatest movement in the history of the country.”
To close out the rally, Tulsi Gabbard made an appearance. She called out Harris for being pro-war. Gabbard served in Congress as a Democrat, representing Hawaii’s 2nd District from 2013 to 2021.
“People like us have a home in the Republican party,” Gabbard said. “I am proud to stand here tonight and announce that I am joining the Republican Party. I am joining the party of people, the party of common sense, and supporting the candidate with the courage to fight for peace.”
To the surprise of no one, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for Governor who was previously endorsed by Trump, was nowhere to be seen.
The long line for Saturday’s Trump rally started forming long before the rally began. Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
WILMINGTON, NC – Linda Burnett may or may not be a Donald Trump supporter. She may or may not be a Kamala Harris supporter. What she is, however, is a successful traveling vendor who attends the rallies of both candidates and says that business is good. Especially for Trump.
“It’s very profitable,” Burnett said. “Especially the Trump merchandise. I sell a lot more Trump items than Harris items. A lot more.” Burnett was wearing a ‘Women for Trump’ hat, but when asked if she supported the former president, Burnett was non-committal. A native of Oklahoma City, Burnett says she goes where the business is.
Joe Smith (a pseudonym) is also a travelling vendor. He would not give his real name, but the Atlanta native did say he was a Trump supporter.
“I like the Second Amendment,” Smith said. “I like money and a good economy, and from what I see, that predominantly happens when Republicans are in office.” Smith is from a military family and has what he calls “rainbow” family members, but says he likes the Trump/Vance ticket because of their conservative values.
“I side with the Bible,” Smith said.
It’s commonplace to see a large number of Black vendors at Trump events, in fact they make up the majority of vendors. At an outdoor rally at the Aero Center in Wilmington, NC on Saturday, business was likely good for everyone. The lines to enter the event were well over a mile long, and nearly a third of it was lined with tables full of Trump merchandise.
Once inside the area roped off for the stage, thousands of supporters braved temperatures in the high 80’s, and a bright sun, to cheer on Donald Trump, and the Republican lawmakers who preceded him. They included North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley, Senator Ted Budd, Congressman David Rouzer and the Republican candidate for Attorney General, Dan Bishop.
“They have no ideas or answers,” Bishop said of the Harris/Walz ticket, while accusing Democrats of seeking to destroy Donald Trump and his family.
“They seek to break our spirits, but they will fail,” Bishop said. “They might stop one of us, but they will not stop all of us. I am running to restore a culture of law and order in North Carolina.”
Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
Bishop is running against Democrat Jeff Jackson for the seat, which is currently held by Josh Stein, the Democratic candidate for Governor. Stein’s opponent, Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, was conspicuously absent from the event. Recent statements released by the Trump campaign was non-committal on whether he still supports Robinson.
When Trump finally took the stage nearly 45 minutes after his scheduled time, it was clear that his supporters didn’t mind the wait. Trump opened his remarks with a warning – if he is not elected, Americans can prepare for World War III. However, under his leadership, Trump stated, we would have world peace.
“Under a Trump administration, cities will be safe again,” Trump stated. “We will bring back the American dream. Under Kamala Harris, we will have economic depression and despair. She is not qualified.”
Trump called Harris the most radical left nominee in the nation’s history, and attacked her record on the economy, energy and the border. He vowed to seal the border on day one and begin the largest mass deportation effort in history.
“There are millions of illegal aliens coming into our country,” Trump said. “There are savage criminals running the streets. She created the worst economy in history. She is responsible for the largest tax hikes in history and crippling regulations.”
During a 40 minute speech, Trump speculated that the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is anywhere from 21 million to 50 million and said that migrants were being flown in from other countries to take over American cities. Although he touched on the economy and energy, Trump kept coming back to the key point of his speech – illegal immigration, in turn calling them migrants, aliens and criminals who come to the U.S. from prisons and insane asylums.
“When I am in office, I will outlaw sanctuary cities nationwide,” Trump said. “I will bring the government down on any city refusing to cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I will get every migrant criminal out of our country.”
Trump once again stated that migrants are taking jobs that were once held by African Americans and Hispanics, a call back to his controversial “Black jobs” comment.
Near the end of his speech, a young voice could clearly be heard shouting “You’ve got to save us President Trump!”
“We’re going to save you,” Trump said. “We are going to save you.” Thunderous applause followed.
