politics • Dec. 19, 2025

Ahead of Trump’s visit, residents in a North Carolina town say they feel squeezed by high costs

Ahead of Donald Trump's upcoming visit to a North Carolina town, residents express growing concern over the rising living costs that are making it increasingly difficult for many to make ends meet. The local community feels the squeeze as essential expenses continue to climb.

As President Donald Trump prepares to visit a small North Carolina town, residents are voicing deep concerns about the economic pressures they face, with rising living costs and housing prices making it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. For many, the combination of soaring rent, increasing property values, and the skyrocketing cost of daily essentials such as food, gas, and healthcare has created a sense of financial insecurity that grows more palpable with each passing month. Townspeople, once hopeful for change, now feel trapped between their desire to remain in their community and the stark reality of a struggling economy that continues to drive up the costs of living.

Local business owners and families alike are feeling the squeeze as wages remain stagnant while inflation eats away at their purchasing power. As political leaders, including Trump, prepare to rally support in the region, many of the town's residents are questioning how their lives will be affected by national politics when their most immediate concerns lie in the ability to afford housing, healthcare, and even basic groceries. With a visit that is expected to draw national attention, the town's local economy—already under strain—will face even more pressure as residents worry that the spotlight on the community will highlight the growing divide between economic prosperity and the reality of everyday life for many working-class Americans.

For some, the visit offers hope that the issues facing their town will finally be addressed, while others fear it will only serve as another reminder of how far their needs have been sidelined by higher powers and policies that seem disconnected from the struggles they endure. Ultimately, the growing dissatisfaction and frustration of the town’s residents underscore a larger national issue, as smaller towns across America grapple with the effects of rising costs and a rapidly changing economic landscape that is leaving many feeling abandoned and forgotten..