State of play: Tracking Trump's and Vance's visits since taking office in 2025 shows they're throwing a lot of energy into appearances at military installations and in the 1st Congressional District.

• Two-thirds of their publicly reported trips have been to Rocky Mount and Fort Bragg, an Axios analysis shows.
• The others were to the mountains after Hurricane Helene and to a suburb of Charlotte after a high-profile fatal stabbing.

Between the lines: Politicos are closely watching the U.S. Senate race for the seat Republican Thom Tillis is vacating when he retires, as well as the battle over the 1st, where the Democratic incumbent is newly vulnerable because of redistricting.

Rocky Mount

The big picture: Both Trump and Vance have visited Rocky Mount, the largest city in the redrawn 1st Congressional District and a short drive to former Gov. Roy Cooper's hometown, to deliver economic messages.

• Vance visited Friday and gave a speech to a small crowd on the economy, though his remarks veered heavily into crime and immigration.
• Trump's rally-style appearance on Dec. 19 was centered on affordability. The AP reported the message fell somewhat flat.

The intrigue: Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley spoke at both appearances. Congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout spoke at the second, 10 days after she won the March primary.

What they're saying: Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson tells Axios that the visits are all about the 1st Congressional race.

• "We're a swing district. I know that we've changed the maps a little bit to favor Republicans, but it's still going to be mighty close," he says.

Fort Bragg

The big picture: Trump has rallied the troops at Fort Bragg twice this presidency — on Feb. 13 and June 10.

The intrigue: Trump has deployed the U.S. military several times in his second term, to Venezuela, in U.S. cities and, now, to the escalating war in Iran.

• His remarks at the Army base have been notably partisan, a break from convention. "You have to vote for us," he said on his second trip.

Charlotte suburbs

The big picture: Vance made a couple of stops in the state on Sept. 24.

• The first was a private fundraiser in Lexington. Later, he gave a speech at an airplane hangar in Concord.

The intrigue: Concord is just outside Charlotte, and Vance brought up the previous month's stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train.

• Republicans have used that incident to push the message that urban crime is spiraling out of control.

Context: Data shows violent crime has dropped significantly since the crime wave of 2020.

Swannanoa

The big picture: Trump visited on Jan. 24, 2025, to tour damage still lingering in Swannanoa from Hurricane Helene.

The intrigue: Disaster aid has been slow to arrive in the North Carolina mountains, where more than 100 people died amid catastrophic flooding.

The bottom line: The administration's repeat visits show North Carolina is critical to Republicans' 2026 strategy.