Michael Whatley ties himself closely to Trump in the early stages of North Carolina's critical Senate race

While Trump's approval ratings have sunk nationally, Whatley is betting the president remains resilient in a battleground state he's won three times.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The Friday night before Christmas would seem an inopportune time to schedule a political rally.

Yet there was President Donald Trump, holding forth in eastern North Carolina for an hour and a half, touting his record and making an early push for Michael Whatley, his handpicked candidate for a critical open Senate seat.

Trump's approval ratings have been dropping nationally and he's enmeshed in sagas far removed from the financial burdens that have left many Americans unnerved, including the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the renaming of the Kennedy Center. But as has largely been the case with other Republican leaders, Whatley has Velcroed himself to president, who remains largely popular with rank-and-file GOP voters.

"Donald Trump right now is the most transformational president in our lifetime," Whatley said, when Trump invited him on stage.

"And President Trump, my pledge to you is this: When I win this seat ... I'm going to be a conservative champion for North Carolina and I'm going to be an ally to our great president."