By Joe Angelucci
North Carolina has a proud military history. From the gates of Fort Liberty to the shores of Camp Lejeune, our state is home to thousands of veterans who risked everything for our freedom. We share a sacred promise: when our heroes come home, we take care of them.
On October 20, 2026, Donald Trump broke that promise at a midterm rally in Greenville.
Trump explicitly tied financial payouts for victims of Camp Lejeune’s toxic water to the election results. He told the crowd: **“If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it.”**
This statement treats the suffering of American veterans as a political tool. For over thirty years, military families drank water poisoned with chemicals. The resulting cancers hit Republicans and Democrats alike. Within our own state, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein fired back with heavy criticism. Stein blasted Trump’s comments as “foul,” adding that real leaders fight for the people rather than for power.
Additionally, legal analysts have reminded the public that qualifying settlements are paid directly through the Treasury’s permanent Judgment Fund under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act—meaning legally guaranteed veteran payouts do not actually depend on which party wins the midterm elections.
Trump’s threat also ignores years of bipartisan work. Incumbent Representative Don Davis has long championed justice for Camp Lejeune veterans, previously pushing the House floor to clear the backlog. Davis has warned that aging veterans are running out of time.
Republican candidate Laurie Buckhout shared that Greenville stage. She spoke proudly of her own background as a retired Army Colonel. Yet, when the top of her ticket threatened to cut off restitution for sick Marine families unless her party wins, she remained silent.
Our military families should not have to fight their own government just to get the payouts they are legally owed. Restitution for Camp Lejeune should depend on the fact that America pays its moral debts—not on who wins an election.
Joe Angelucci is a resident of Edenton
Fact-Check Reference Guide
- ¹The Event: Donald Trump’s campaign stop occurred on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Pitt-Greenville Airport in Greenville, NC.
- ²The Quote: Trump’s exact words recorded from the speech were: “If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it, and it’s going to be finally over with, that nightmare…
- ³Governor Stein’s Response: On October 21, 2026, Governor Josh Stein issued a statement explicitly calling Trump’s remarks “foul.”
- ⁴The Judgment Fund: The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 legally bounds these payouts to statutory law. Payouts are drawn from the permanent federal Judgment Fund, which cannot be unilaterally blocked by a shift in congressional control.
- ⁵Don Davis’s Record: Rep. Don Davis (NC-01) has repeatedly spoken out regarding the slow pace of the DOJ’s Camp Lejeune payouts, notably addressing the backlog on the House floor and in Armed Services Committee sessions.
- ⁶Laurie Buckhout’s Appearance: Event logs confirm Buckhout spoke at 5:50 p.m. before Trump took the stage, and was called up briefly during his speech. Her remarks focused exclusively on early voting, and she did not address the Lejeune comments.
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