CNN
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Donald Trump’s marketing campaign declined to say Thursday whether or not North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whom the previous president as soon as described as “Martin Luther King on steroids,” ought to drop out of the battleground state’s race for governor.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ marketing campaign, in the meantime, highlighted Trump’s historical past of reward for Robinson, within the wake of a CNN report Thursday about Robinson’s historical past of disturbing feedback on a pornographic web site’s message board.
Robinson, a Trump ally who gained the Republican nomination for governor in March, faces mounting strain to exit the race following the revelations that he’d made feedback greater than a decade in the past during which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed help for reinstating slavery. Robinson denied having made these feedback.
The report instantly rippled by the 2024 presidential race, the place North Carolina is a goal for each Trump and Harris. The deadline below state regulation for a candidate to drop out is 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, with the state’s first absentee ballots set to be mailed out Friday.
Harris’ marketing campaign responded to the report by sharing images on social media of Trump and Robinson collectively, together with one in every of them posing with a thumbs-up.
In one other social media put up, the Harris marketing campaign shared video of Trump praising Robinson, calling him “one of many nice leaders in our nation” and labeling him “higher than Martin Luther King.” The marketing campaign superimposed the CNN report’s headline within the video.
In an announcement Thursday afternoon, the Trump marketing campaign didn’t straight handle the reporting, or whether or not the previous president needs Robinson to drop out of the governor’s race.
“President Trump’s marketing campaign is targeted on profitable the White Home and saving this nation. North Carolina is an very important a part of that plan. We’re assured that as voters evaluate the Trump document of a robust financial system, low inflation, a safe border, and secure streets, with the failures of Biden-Harris, then President Trump will win the Tarheel State as soon as once more. We is not going to take our eye off the ball,” Trump marketing campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt instructed CNN.
Trump has a protracted historical past of praising Robinson. At a marketing campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March, Trump mentioned he was listening to Robinson converse whereas he was on his airplane and referred to as him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
“I mentioned, ‘I feel you’re higher than Martin Luther King. I feel you’re Martin Luther King instances two,’” Trump mentioned on the time.
Some individuals in Trump’s orbit heard rumblings this week {that a} probably damaging story on Robinson was within the works, in accordance with two sources aware of the state of affairs.
Even earlier than the CNN report was revealed, the Trump marketing campaign had not invited Robinson to the previous president’s upcoming Saturday rally within the state, with sources saying that the choice was prone to maintain. Robinson has been to most, if not all, of Trump’s latest North Carolina occasions. Final month, he spoke at Trump’s economy-themed rally in Asheville, and the previous president introduced him onstage in Asheboro.
Many individuals near Trump have lengthy held considerations about Robinson and his gubernatorial candidacy, given his earlier inflammatory feedback, together with disparaging the civil rights motion and mocking the victims of a college taking pictures. Privately, some on Trump’s staff had hoped Robinson would drop out as extra of his contentious previous feedback had been revealed. Nonetheless, that didn’t cease Trump from giving the lieutenant governor his endorsement at a rally earlier this yr.
Regardless of efforts to distance the previous president from Robinson, three senior Trump marketing campaign advisers instructed CNN that there have been no efforts to strain Robinson to withdraw from the governor’s race, and there have been no plans right now to name for him drop out.
The NAACP referred to as on Robinson to drop out of the race, writing on social media Thursday that the group is “nonpartisan, however we’re not blind. And we converse out towards what’s fallacious. Mark Robinson: drop out.”
Robinson is at present in a aggressive race towards Democrat Josh Stein to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
“Donald Trump and NC GOP leaders embraced Mark Robinson for years understanding who he was and what he stood for together with disrespect for girls and inciting violence. They reap what they sow,” Cooper mentioned on social media Thursday.
Stein, the state lawyer normal, has been main Robinson in latest polling. His marketing campaign mentioned in an announcement Thursday: “North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is totally unfit to be Governor. Josh stays targeted on profitable this marketing campaign in order that collectively we are able to construct a safer, stronger North Carolina for everybody.”
The Democratic Governors Affiliation additionally pounced on the CNN report, with spokeswoman Izzi Levy calling it “simply the newest proof that Mark Robinson is unhinged, harmful, and utterly unfit to be governor.”
“Now, as many Republicans warn towards the harm Robinson would do as governor, it’s clear that the stakes have by no means been larger and we should preserve our foot on the fuel to defeat him in November,” Levy mentioned.
The Republican Governors Affiliation didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the report and whether or not Robinson ought to drop out of the race.
North Carolina Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic nominee to succeed Stein as lawyer normal, mentioned it made him “sick” to learn the CNN report about Robinson.
He added that the lieutenant governor “has no enterprise serving in any elected capability in any way. And I’d like to listen to from all of the Republicans in North Carolina, the place they stand on this, as a result of it actually shouldn’t be a troublesome query.”
North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, who leads the Home Republican marketing campaign arm, instructed reporters Thursday that “the allegations had been very regarding.”
However Hudson stopped wanting calling Robinson to step apart.
“My hope is that the lieutenant governor can reassure the individuals of North Carolina that the allegations aren’t true,” he mentioned.
One other North Carolina Republican, Rep. Greg Murphy, who’s a member of the hard-line conservative Home Freedom Caucus, additionally referred to as the allegations “very regarding” however raised doubt about their authenticity.
“What I learn was very regarding, however given the diploma of digital manipulation that may occur today with AI, with every little thing else, who the hell is aware of what’s true and what’s not,” he mentioned.
South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, additionally a Freedom Caucus member, instructed CNN the report was “fairly unhappy.”
“To go this far alongside, after which to the individuals who supported him, all the cash that he’s raised, and I feel he must drop out at this time, in order that they get one other candidate,” he mentioned.
Norman additionally mentioned Robinson ought to have recognized that previous message board feedback would change into public.
“I feel he’s a distinct man now – evidently, a number of this occurred up to now – however in politics, they’re going to search out out every little thing, as rightfully they need to,” Norman mentioned.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia mentioned she wished to learn the allegations, however “if that every one seems to be true, that might be definitely one thing that I undoubtedly couldn’t help.”
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Kristen Holmes, Aaron Pellish, Dianne Gallagher, Annie Grayer, Morgan Rimmer, Kate Sullivan and Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.