Former President Donald Trump on Thursday denounced anti-Semitism hours after an explosive report detailed how one of his allies running for governor of North Carolina made a series of racist and sexual comments on a website in which he also referred to himself as a “black Nazi.”
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said he would stay in the race despite the report, and the Trump campaign appeared to distance itself from the candidate while continuing to emphasize that the battleground state is key territory to win the election. Trump has frequently expressed support for Robinson, who has been considered a rising star in his party despite his history of incendiary comments about race and abortion.
Trump did not address the allegations during his speeches Thursday to a group of Jewish donors and the Israeli-American Council in Washington. His campaign issued a statement on the story without mentioning Robinson, saying instead that Trump “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country” and that North Carolina is a “critical part of that plan.”
Robinson’s alleged remarks — including a 2012 comment in which he said he preferred Adolf Hitler to the leadership in Washington — clashed with Trump’s allegations of anti-Semitism in the U.S. government and his assertion that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, sympathizes with enemies of Israel. The memo could also jeopardize Trump’s chances of winning North Carolina, a key battleground state, given that Robinson is trailing far behind her Democratic opponent in public polls.
“This story is not about the North Carolina gubernatorial race. It’s about the presidential race,” said Paul Shumaker, a Republican pollster who has worked for Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and warned that Trump could risk losing a state he won in 2016 and 2020.
“The question is going to be: Will Mark Robinson cost Donald Trump the White House?” Shumaker added.
After the allegations against Robinson came to light, a spokesman for Harris’ campaign, Ammar Moussa, reposted a photo of Trump and the controversial candidate on social media. “Mark Robinson is a problem for Donald Trump,” he wrote.
The North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement supporting Robinson, saying he “categorically denies ’s allegations, but that won’t stop the left from trying to demonize him through personal attacks.”
Trump has been trying to win over black voters, and throughout the campaign he has frequently aligned himself with Robinson, making his appearance most frequently in North Carolina. At a rally in Greensboro he called Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids,” referring to the civil rights leader, because of his oratorical ability.
Trump was joined by Miriam Adelson, co-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
“My promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your champion, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House,” Trump said during the donor event in Washington, titled “Combating Anti-Semitism in America.”
“But to tell you the truth, I already am,” Trump added.
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