Ahead of Donald Trump rally, local veterans, elected officials voice support for Joe Biden

The edges of the brim of Jason Cain's tan ballcap are fraying, but the American flag embroidered on its crown is seemingly well intact.

Cain, a U.S. Army veteran and former North Carolina assistant secretary for military affairs, calls it his "going to war" hat -- it got him through three deployments in Iraq. It's the hat he pulls out "when it's time to get serious."

"I'm a military veteran, a father, a feminist and an educator," Cain said. "And what we need in this state is to get Joe Biden elected as president and to not have Donald Trump anywhere near this state. Unfortunately, he's here today."

Cain was among a group of local elected officials and veterans that gathered in Wilmington on Saturday ahead of the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee's visit to the city. According to the event's webpage, Trump's rally will be held at the Aero Center, located at 1830 Flightline Road on the grounds of the Wilmington International Airport. Doors are scheduled to open at 3 p.m., with the event expected to begin at 7 p.m.

The group largely spoke against Trump's views on reproductive care and voiced support for the Democratic presidential nominee, President Joe Biden.

"Donald Trump is coming to our city today to lie about his record and his actions," said Salette Andrews, a member of the Wilmington City Council and a U.S. Air Force veteran. "But he cannot hide from the fact that the abortion bans that he enabled have taken away the rights of women in North Carolina."

Live coverage: Donald Trump rally in Wilmington

Andrews argued access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare will be even more restricted under a second Trump presidency.

"I fought for this country, and I believe that Trump and his MAGA-Republican, down-ballot candidates, stand against everything that we veterans have fought for," Andrews said. "We fought for our freedoms and they want to restrict them."

Sen. Val Applewhite, D-Cumberland, said she is "repulsed" by what she called Trump's lack of respect for the freedoms she and other veterans fought for.

"Donald Trump is responsible for extreme abortion bans, including our ban in North Carolina," Applewhite said. "And if he is elected again, I'm certain it will go even farther."

Biden, Applewhite argued, "will protect our right to choose and fight back against Trump and MAGA Republicans' efforts to ban abortions and IVF treatments."

Herb Harton, a U.S. Army veteran and former president of the Southeastern North Carolina Central Labor Council, called Trump's first term in office "disastrous."

"We have to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the next election," Harton said. "We can't stand for anything else."

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Just a few miles away, dozens are already in line for Trump's event. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is also expected to speak at the event. Robinson is the Republican nominee in the North Carolina gubernatorial race set to face Democratic candidate Josh Stein in November.

North Carolina is a battleground state, which Trump won by just over 1% of the vote in the 2020 presidential election.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington, NC, Democrats, veterans voice support for Joe Biden