Whatley defended the war in Iran despite the war causing gas and fertilizer prices in North Carolina to skyrocket. The resulting rising prices were hurting North Carolina families, businesses and farmers.
[AUDIO] Whatley Claimed That Trump Had The Authority To Strike Venezuela And Iran. “HOST: What do you say to the the other clowns up there in Congress right now, both houses, who say, Mr. President, you do not have the authority to do this, you are violating U.S. law. What do you say to them? WHATLEY: Well, they're wrong. I mean, the fact is that the president absolutely has the authority to protect American interests. You know, this is not a war. We do not have soldiers on the ground. We have not invaded either Iran or Venezuela. Right. These were surgical military strikes to make sure that we are protecting our interests, which is exactly what the president has the authority to do.” [Raeford Brown Show, 03/02/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That Trump Acted “Decisively” And Whatley Claimed That It Was “Disappointing” For The Democratic Party To Criticize Trump For “Operation Epic Fury.” “Well, I’m certainly more disappointed. You know, the fact that we have a few Republicans that just want to take potshots at the president. And, you know, everybody thinks that the world is frozen and that when the president makes a decision like this, you know, it is radically changing everything. The fact is the world is not frozen. Iran was moving forward, developing missile technology, moving forward with developing their nuclear technologies. And you cannot let them get to the point where they're going to unleash an attack. And so thankful that the president has acted decisively and is taking on, you know, that regime and decapitating it. You know, it is very disappointing that the entirety of the Democratic Party minus, you know, John Fetterman, that one exception would really rather see America fail. And the fact that when we look at the Democrats, you have about half of them are criticizing the president, the other half are silent. You know, there is no support for our troops coming out of the Democratic Party right now. There is no support for an America to be strong and, you know, protect our own interests and allies around the world is really despicable.” [Raeford Brown Show, 03/02/26]
[AUDIO] Whatley Claimed That He Trusted Trump To “Execute” On The Mission And Claimed That It Was “A Very Well Defined Mission.” “Well, I trust the president to execute on this mission. And the mission is a very well defined mission, which is to ensure that Iran is not capable of developing nuclear weapons and delivering them against the U.S. or our allies around the world. That's a very defined scope. But this is a regime that had tried for decades to develop nuclear weapons, to develop ballistic missile systems, and to be able to export terror across the region. And that is something that needed to be taken out. I fully support the president.” [Talk of the Town, 03/04/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That He “Strong Support What President Trump Has Set Out To Do In Iran.” “We need to keep in, in, in mind the soldiers that have been killed in this action already, as well as their families, and keep them in our prayers. Look, I strongly support what President Trump has set out to do in Iran. It is absolutely essential that Iran not have ballistic missile capabilities reaching all of the Middle East, Europe and even the United States. It is essential that Iran not have nuclear weapons capabilities, and that they no longer are in a position to export terrorism around the world. That is a limited mission that the president is on, and I absolutely support it.” [WTVD-RAL (ABC), 3/4/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Was Supportive Of The War In Iran. “Michael Whatley was supportive of the war in Iran, ‘I do think the US should be involved. And I think that the president has been very clear that the mission is to make sure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons and is no longer going to be able to export terror, you know, and…really be a threat to American interests and allies around the region.’” [WNCN-RAL (CBS), 3/12/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That The Timeline For The Iran War Was Based On Ensuring Iran Was Not Going To Have A Nuclear Weapon. “Look, the, the president has made it very clear that the priorities that we have in Iran are to ensure that they’re not going to be able to develop and be able to deliver, uh, nuclear payloads into Europe or the United States of America. And, as long as we are going to be sure that Iran is not going to have nuclear capacity, that they’re not going to be able to deliver those types of payloads or export terrorism, that ultimately is the timeline that the president needs to be working on.” [NewsNation: Morning in America, 4/16/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That The War In Iran Was “Justified.” “The fact is that his actions in Iran are completely justified. The fact is that we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. We cannot allow them to deliver payloads to Europe or the United States, and we need them to stop exporting terrorism. That's the president's agenda right now in the Middle East. I fully support it. The people of North Carolina fully support it. Um, and as soon as he can get Iran back to the table and to, to have a deal down, as soon as we can get the Straits of Hormuz opened up, then we're going to see these prices go down.” [NewsmaxTV: Bianca Across the Nation, 5/4/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That He “Absolutely” Supported The War In Iran Despite Rising Cost Concerns. “HOST: And there is no doubt that the war in Iran is contributing to the cost of living, especially when it comes to oil prices and the price at the pump right now as things stand. Do you support President Trump's ongoing effort in Iran, given that economic impact here at home? WHATLEY: Absolutely.” [Wired In, 05/12/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That The Operation In Iran Was Not A War But Targeted Strikes. “Well, we'll certainly see how long it's going to take. And I think the president is going to stay on mission until it's done. I don't think that the intention is for this to be a forever war by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it's not even a war. It was a very targeted series of strikes to take out Iran's capacity to build, you know, intercontinental ballistic missiles and deliver them as well as their nuclear weapons capacity, which need to be taken out.” [CBS: The TakeOut, 3/4/26]
[AUDIO] Whatley Claimed That Trump Wanted Peace In Iran And Whatley Denied That What Was Happening In Iran Was A War. “No. Look, I mean, the fact is the president and the pope both want peace. The president wants to end this war in Iran. It's not even a war. Right. The president wants to end these actions in Iran and he wants to make sure that we don't have nuclear weapon capacity from that country, that they don't have missile capacity to deliver payloads into Europe or the United States. When the pope says that he wants to see peace, that's exactly what the president's fighting for.” [Brian Kilmeade Show, 04/16/26]
Whatley Claimed That The United States Needed To Stop Exporting Terrorism And That It Was “Widely Popular” In North Carolina. According to the News & Observer, “Whatley said the United States needs to also guarantee that Iran will ‘stop exporting terrorism.’ ‘That is an agenda that is widely popular here in North Carolina,’ Whatley said. ‘I’m shocked that Roy Cooper is against that agenda right now, but the fact is we need to support our troops right now.’” [News & Observer, 4/10/26]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That America Was Insulated From Rising Gas Prices due To The Iran War. “HOST: I'm sorry. Michael, this is Chris. I just had a question. We've seen one oil tanker already that's been hit and I guess burning the fuel that's on there. And so is there any concern and I know there's a lot already going on, the gas prices are going to go up and the price of the bed of oil is going to go up. But what's your take on that? WHATLEY: Yeah, I think there is concern, right? Obviously, because, you know, Iran and the Middle East, in the Straits of Hormuz, you know, that is definitely a choke point. We are certainly in a better position to withstand those types of sharks because President Trump has unleashed American energy and the fact that we are now producing more oil than, you know, anywhere else in the world allows us to have some insulation, you know, from the price shocks that that this type of activity would normally be causing.” [Raeford Brown Show, 03/02/26]
HEADLINE: “Fuel Prices Rise As Spring Break Nears, Squeezing North Carolina Families” [WTVD, 3/8/26]
HEADLINE: “North Carolina Gas Prices Spike Amid Iran Conflict, Ongoing Middle East Strikes” [WCNC, 3/4/26]
HEADLINE: “Gas Prices Rise Sharply In NC And Nationwide After Weekend Attack On Iran” [News & Observer, 3/3/26]
HEADLINE: “Asheville Gas Prices Rise, More Increases Expected Amid War In Middle East” [WLOS, 3/2/26]
[VIDEO] Rising Gas And Diesel Prices Were Impacting North Carolina Trucking Companies And Drivers. “ABC 11 reported that the average gas price in North Carolina is $3.59 today, already up from $3.55 yesterday. Lawrence Carpenter, who owns a trucking company, said each of his eight trucks now averages about $350 worth of diesel per day. Carpenter said that you can’t control things like gas prices and that you have to just keep fighting. ABC 11 also spoke with DoorDash driver Walter Colvin, who said, ‘If we don’t get a good tip for DoorDash, then it’s not really worth the DoorDash. Now, with the current prices of gas today, our profit has been reduced to at least 25% of what we used to make.’ Both men are planning to wait it out and hope prices fall soon.” [WTVD-RAL (ABC 1), 3/18/26]
The Closure Of The Strait Of Hormuz Due To The Iran War Cause The Price Of Oil To Increase. According to WTVD, “Experts attribute the surge to global pressures, despite the United States being a major producer of crude oil. Cuts from oil-producing nations in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the war in Iran have tightened supplies.” [WTVD, 3/31/26]
HEADLINE: “Gas Price Surge Strains Farmers, Drivers Across NC” [WTVD, 3/31/26]
HEADLINE: “How ‘Ridiculous’ Gas And Diesel Prices Are Affecting NC Farmers” [News & Observer, 4/27/26]
HEADLINE: “Drought, Rising Fuel Costs Strain North Carolina Farmers” [Border Belt Independent, 5/13/26]
Farmers Were Susceptible To Rising Cost Stemming From The Iran War. According to WTVD, “ The agriculture industry is particularly susceptible to rising costs stemming from the ongoing war.” [WTVD, 3/31/26]
A Farmer In Dunn, North Carolina Claimed That The Fuel Price Was “Ridiculous.” According to the News & Observer, “ Farmers need diesel to power tractors and other machines used in the farming process, said Marshall Lee, co-owner of Lee’s Produce in Dunn. He’s spent $500 just to fill up one tractor. ‘The fuel price is ridiculous when it comes to trying to farm with them,’ Lee told The News & Observer in a phone interview.” [News & Observer, 4/27/26]
HEADLINE: NC Farmers Feel Strain From Rising Fertilizer Costs And Low Supply Amid Iran War [WRAL News, 3/29/26]
HEADLINE: Diesel And Fertilizer Cost Spikes Put Squeeze On NC Corn Farmers [Carolina Public Press, 4/6/26]
The Closure Of The Strait Of Hormuz Caused Fertilizer Prices To Spike Impacting Farmer’s Ability To Grow Certain Crops. According to Star News Online, “The Strait of Hormuz is a critical channel for fertilizer. Iran's closure of the strait has spiked fertilizer prices, close to doubling some types, just before planting season, potentially leaving some N.C. farmers asking if it's worth planting a crop like corn that requires a lot of fertilizer, switching to a crop that generally requires less fertilizer, or just letting some fields go fallow this growing season.” [Star News Online, 3/24/26]
A Farmer In North Carolina Claimed That Extra Costs He Accrued From Rising Inputs Such As Fertilizers Might Be Passed Onto Customers. According to WRAL News, “Harmuth said he would likely have to pass any extra costs he faces onto his customers, adding that the situation is ‘beyond our control.’ ‘We just have to pay if we want to produce,’ Harmuth said. ‘And, of course, like anything, we'd have to pass on whatever [extra] expense to our customers, if we can't absorb it ourselves by efficiency or improvement.’” [WRAL News, 3/29/26]