Trump has embraced NC’s Mark Robinson, calling him ‘Martin Luther King on steroids’
A new report from CNN uncovering a series of offensive and alarming comments allegedly made by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson on online forums years ago jolted the governor's race Thursday.
The newly unearthed comments, which Robinson denied making and called "salacious, tabloid trash," prompted a flurry of speculation about whether Republicans in the state would continue to stand by Robinson and support his campaign, and whether Robinson's trailing polling numbers could hurt other GOP candidates — including at the top of the ballot.
Former President Donald Trump has embraced Robinson's candidacy, and has on many occasions praised him.
Several recent polls have shown the presidential race narrowing in North Carolina to the point where polling aggregates show that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are basically tied.
In the governor's race, however, Robinson has consistently polled behind Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by fairly large margins.
Averages of polls conducted between Aug. 26 and Sept. 18, maintained by Real Clear Politics, show Trump ahead by 0.1 percentage points , but Stein ahead by 9.4 percentage points .
Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, said last week that while struggling candidates can benefit from "presidential coattails" at the top of a ticket, in this year's election, it's possible that Robinson could impact Trump's performance , in the opposite direction.
"We may see gubernatorial coattails, kind of in reverse, helping to pull Harris in if Stein is able to pull out a significant win," Bitzer said on the Cook Political Report's Odd Years podcast. (Bitzer defined a significant win as any margin greater than 4 percentage points.)
The new comments reported by CNN come as Trump is slated to return to North Carolina on Saturday to hold a campaign rally in Wilmington.
The Trump campaign released a statement on Thursday that notably did not mention Robinson, but instead said that Trump "is focused on winning the White House and saving this country."
"North Carolina is a vital part of that plan," the campaign said, according to NBC News . "We are confident that as voters compare the Trump record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border, and safe streets, with the failures of Biden-Harris, then President Trump will win the Tarheel State once again. We will not take our eye off the ball."
Trump called Robinson 'Martin Luther King on steroids'
During a rally in Greensboro in March, Trump endorsed Robinson's gubernatorial campaign, saying he had been an "unbelievable lieutenant governor."
He proceeded to say of Robinson's speeches and oratorical ability, that he was "Martin Luther King on steroids."
"I told that to Mark, I said, 'I think you're better than Martin Luther King, I think you are Martin Luther King times two,' and he looked at me, and I wasn't sure, was he angry because that's a terrible thing to say, or was he complimented," Trump said to his supporters.
Trump then turned to Robinson, who was sitting in the crowd, and said: "When I said that to you, you looked like, 'I don't know if I like that comment.'"
"You should like it, because you're outstanding, and you're going to be the next governor, so that's going to be very cool," Trump said.
Trump repeated the comment in May, while speaking during the National Rifle Association's Leadership Forum in Dallas.
One of the posts that CNN attributed to Robinson on Thursday referred to King using a racial slur and other profanity.
Donors 'have to cherish' Robinson, Trump said
Speaking to donors at Mar-a-Lago, his private residence and club, in December, Trump urged them to "quadruple" whatever contributions they were planning to make, and said they needed to "cherish" Robinson.
"We have to cherish Mark, he's a star," Trump said. "You have to cherish him."
"It's like a fine wine, because that's what you have, you have a fine wine. He's an outstanding person. I've gotten to know him so well, and fairly quickly," Trump said. "And, you know, when he endorsed me, I didn't have to call, 'Hey would you?' He liked me. He thought I was good."
"All of a sudden, I see this incredible, booming voice and the beautiful rhetorical statements. And I said, I think he's going to endorse me. He did," Trump continued. "He didn't call me and say, 'Oh sir, I'd like to endorse you. You know, let's do a big public deal and this and that.' Just the opposite. He's just an outstanding guy. I hope you can back him and write checks for him."
Trump had teased an endorsement for Robinson several months earlier, while addressing the N.C. GOP convention in June 2023.
During those remarks, Trump said he was going to save the endorsement for "another time," but told Robinson he could "count on it," and said, "congratulations."
