Residents of Rocky Mount, N.C., report rising costs for groceries, housing and utilities are squeezing household budgets as President Trump prepares to visit the town. Local stories — from a young technician who worked 22 days straight to buy Christmas gifts to a longtime shop owner facing scarce customers — illustrate broader economic strain. The visit comes amid recent redistricting in eastern North Carolina and ongoing local efforts to revive a struggling downtown.
Rocky Mount Residents Say Rising Costs Are Squeezing Budgets Ahead Of Trump Visit
Railroad tracks cut through downtown Rocky Mount, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, with a boarded up building in the background. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Residents of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, say rising prices for groceries, housing and utilities are tightening household budgets as President Donald Trump prepares to visit the town.
Twenty-six-year-old Daijah Bryant worked 22 days straight as a technician at an engine plant so she could finally do what she had postponed: buy Christmas gifts. She pushed a cart out of a Rocky Mount Walmart and filled her car with presents, but the purchases did little to lift her spirits.
“Having to pay bills, if you happen to pay rent and try to do Christmas all at the same time, it is very, very hard,” Bryant said, sounding exasperated.
Trump’s Friday evening visit to Rocky Mount is part of a broader push to promote his economic policies ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Rocky Mount sits inside an eastern North Carolina U.S. House district that has been competitive historically; earlier this year the Republican-controlled state legislature redrew the district’s boundaries in a move critics said favored GOP candidates.
Local Strain, Local Stories
Crimson smokestacks loom over parts of downtown, a visible reminder of a past era when tobacco and railroads drove the local economy. Today the city—home to roughly 54,000 residents—has tried to pivot to industries such as manufacturing and biopharmaceuticals, but many businesses and storefronts remain empty.
Lucy Slep, 64, co-owns The Miner’s Emporium, a downtown jewelry shop she and her husband have run for nearly four decades. She said foot traffic has dwindled and more customers are selling pieces to the shop than buying them.
“Every downtown in every little town is beautiful,” Slep said. “But without the businesses, it’s dead.”
The city has invested in downtown revitalization, but progress has been slow. Recent fiscal troubles in city government contributed to higher utility rates, adding to residents’ cost pressures.
Mixed Views On The Economy
Polls show many Americans remain concerned about persistent price pressures. The administration says the economy is improving and the country will see relief in the months ahead; at times the president has urged Americans to reduce spending to cope with higher costs. Locally, reactions are mixed.
Shiva Mrain, an engineer in Rocky Mount, said his family’s situation has neither improved nor worsened recently and noted relief from lower gas prices. Bryant, who did not vote in the last election because she felt neither party could bring meaningful change, remains skeptical.
“I can’t really say ... that change is coming,” she said. “I don’t think anything is going to change.”
The visit underscores how national economic messages collide with local realities—empty storefronts, rising bills and residents waiting to see whether promised policies will translate into tangible relief.
