Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign on Thursday sought to remind former President Donald Trump of his praise for embattled Republican North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, following an explosive CNN report detailing past racist and offensive comments allegedly directed at him on a pornography website.
The network uncovered comments Robinson allegedly made between 2008 and 2012 on the message board of a pornography website called “Nude Africa,” in which he called himself a “black Nazi” and shared his appreciation for transgender porn, among other explicit statements.
Robinson denies posting the messages and dismisses the evidence shared in the CNN report as “tasteless tabloid lies.”
Harris’ campaign sought to highlight the ties between Trump and Robinson by sharing a series of videos on X, formerly Twitter, in which Trump repeatedly praised the Republican nominee.
Trump endorsed Robinson at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March, calling him “better than” civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
“This is Martin Luther King on steroids,” Trump said of Robinson at the time.
David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris’ campaign, suggested that Trump’s comments, given the new reporting about Robinson, could cost him North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes in November, hurting his chances of winning the White House.
Another video shared by Harris’ campaign shows part of a speech Trump gave at Mar-a-Lago in December 2023 in which he called Robinson a “star.”
“You have to cherish him. He’s like a fine wine,” Trump said. “He’s an exceptional person.”
Trump also called Robinson a “friend” and “one of the most popular politicians in the United States of America” during a rally ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Harris’ team also shared a slideshow of photos of the two posing together, complete with a thumbs-up emoji.
Despite rumors that he was under pressure to resign over the story, Robinson vowed to remain in the race for governor.
“Clarence Thomas once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching,” Robinson said in a video posted to social media. “Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is.”
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, did not address Robinson’s earlier comments in a statement shared with multiple news outlets, saying North Carolina, a key battleground, remains a top target for the former president.
“We are confident that if voters compare Trump’s record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border and safe streets to the Biden-Harris failures, President Trump will win the Tarheel State again,” Leavitt said. “We will not take our eyes off the ball.”
According to the New York Times, Trump has no intention of pressuring Robinson to drop out. He did, however, recently refuse to let Robinson participate in at least one event in the state. He also wants to use his campaign to create more distance between himself and the candidate for governor, the source cites a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Republican Party is endorsing Robinson.
“Robinson has categorically denied CNN’s allegations, but that hasn’t stopped the left from demonizing him through personal attacks,” a statement on X said. “The left needs this election to be a personality contest, not a policy contest, because when voters focus on policy, Republicans win on Election Day.”
Yet North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper suggested that both Trump and the state GOP were complicit in promoting Robinson despite “knowing who he was and what he stood for, including disrespect for women and incitement to violence.”
“They reap what they sow,” Cooper added.
