President Trump spent about 90 minutes in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, aiming to promote lower prices and a drug-pricing plan but frequently veered into personal anecdotes and crowd-pleasing tangents. He cited cooling inflation and a drug-pricing announcement, criticized rivals like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and revisited the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search — even describing Melania Trump's lingerie. He addressed stamina concerns by citing cognitive tests and called himself "probably very neurotic," arguing controlled neuroses can be useful.
Trump's Rocky Mount Rally: Economic Pitch Sidetracked by Melania Lingerie, Macron Impersonation and Personal Tangents
US President Donald Trump dances on stage during a rally at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on December 19, 2025. - Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Donald Trump visited Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Friday for what he called a "quick little stop" on the way to Mar-a-Lago, delivering a roughly 90-minute address aimed at highlighting his economic record. While he touched on inflation and a drug-pricing initiative, much of the speech wandered into anecdotes, jabs at rivals and crowd-pleasing diversions.
Economy: The Intended Focus
Trump repeatedly returned to economic themes, citing a recent report showing a cooling in inflation and touting steps to lower some prescription drug prices. He framed a recent uptick in the unemployment rate as a consequence of dismissing many government workers and used that point to argue for stronger fiscal management. He also reiterated his claim that he inherited a weak economy from President Joe Biden — a contention critics say oversimplifies the data, which showed inflation near 3% when Biden took office and only modest changes since.
Tangents and Personal Anecdotes
Despite the economic messaging, the event was punctuated by numerous off-script remarks. Trump described how he believes his wife, Melania Trump, stores her lingerie — saying, "I think she steams them" — as part of a broader critique of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago in 2022. He mocked President Emmanuel Macron with a brief French accent while describing negotiations over drug pricing, and he proudly recalled his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton: "I don't know, beating Hillary was fun."
"I think I'm probably very neurotic...Controlled neuroses is good," he told the crowd, acknowledging a tendency toward fixation while defending its usefulness.
Political Friction and Legal Jabs
Trump expanded his list of grievances to include the news media and former ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he derided as "Marjorie Traitor Brown." He also joked about litigation against the Justice Department, quipping that if he had to settle his own suit, he might award himself a large sum and donate it to charity.
Health, Stamina and Stage Presence
Addressing public concerns about his stamina after several recent on-camera dozing episodes, Trump pointed to a series of cognitive tests he says he passed and promised to inform the public if his faculties declined: "When that time comes, I will let you know about it... That time is not now, because I feel the same that I felt for 50 years." The crowd responded warmly to his self-assured delivery, even as aides express concern that his digressions undercut a sharper, more forward-looking economic message.
Takeaway
Friday's Rocky Mount rally followed a familiar pattern for Trump: a mix of policy points and free-associative remarks that energize his base but frustrate advisers seeking tighter messaging ahead of important midterm elections. The event emphasized his goal of focusing the conversation on prices and prescription drugs, while underscoring how quickly his speeches can drift into personal stories and provocations.
