Trump campaigns in North Carolina while embattled ally Robinson stays away
Robinson denies allegations, remains in governor's race
Democrats launch ads linking Trump to Robinson
Robinson scandal could impact Trump's chances in North Carolina
Writes through after rally
By James Oliphant
Sept 21 (Reuters) -Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina on Saturday, but his embattled Republican ally, gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, was nowhere to be seen.
Robinson, who has appeared at previous Trump rallies in the battleground state, was absent after a CNN report this week detailed how he allegedly once called himself a "Black NAZI" and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website. Robinson has denied the allegations and has said he will remain in the governor’s race.
North Carolina is critical to the hopes of both Republican presidential hopeful Trump and his opponent in the Nov. 5 election, Democrat Kamala Harris.
Polls show the race in the state to be tight, and some Republicans worry that the scandal swirling around Robinson could damage Trump's chances there.
At the rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump suggested he would decline to debate Harris a second time after she accepted CNN’s invitation to participate in an Oct. 23 face-off.
"The problem with another debate is that it's just too late. Voting has already started," Trump told the crowd.
Trump has not addressed the allegations against Robinson, currently the state's lieutenant governor, but in the past he has praised him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” Robinson appeared at a Trump rally as recently as last month.
Trump's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Robinson may not have been at Saturday’s rally, but Democrats worked to ensure he was not forgotten.
Ahead of Trump's visit, the Democratic National Committee launched new advertising across the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro that ties Trump to Robinson.
The billboard ads show a picture of the two men together, along with quotes from Trump previously calling Robinson an "outstanding person" and an "incredible gentleman." "Trump on Mark Robinson: 'We have to cherish Mark,'" the billboards read.
After CNN published its report, the Harris campaign posted on social media photographs of Trump and Robinson, calling them “best friends.” On Friday, it began running a TV ad in North Carolina featuring Trump’s past praise for Robinson.
Robinson has a history of inflammatory rhetoric, including denying the Holocaust and referring to Muslims as “invaders” and to gay and transgender people as “filth.” His political career has been driven by his defense of gun rights and extreme right-wing positions.
Trump used the Wilmington rally largely to rail again against the influx of migrants into the United States during the Biden administration.
He pledged, if elected, to send law enforcement agents into "Democrat-run" cities to locate immigrants in the country illegally and deport them. He vowed to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” that shield those immigrants from the reach of federal enforcement and said he would seek legislation in Congress "outlawing" them.
"We will hunt down and capture every single gang member, drug dealer, rapist, murderer, and migrant criminal,” Trump told the crowd.
Harris’ campaign and its allies have made a significant investment in North Carolina, including two stops by the vice president last week. A Democrat has not won the state in a presidential election since 2008, but voters have elected Democrat Roy Cooper as governor in 2016 and 2020.
Robinson had been trailing his opponent, Democrat Josh Stein, even before the CNN report, suggesting he could be a drag on Trump’s chances in the state if some disaffected Republicans stay home on Election Day or defect to Harris.
Chris Cooper, a professor of political science at Western Carolina University, said in a state that Trump won by just 1.3 percentage points in 2020, the Robinson scandal could damage Republicans' chances up and down the ballot in November, including Trump's.
"If some people feel that the Republican brand is stained enough that they'd rather stay home, then that's going to matter," Cooper said. "It doesn't take a big difference to flip the state."
Reporting by James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Katharine Jackson, Stephanie Kelly, Tim Reid and Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rod Nickel and Daniel Wallis
آخر الأخبار
إخلاء المسؤولية: تتيح كيانات XM Group خدمة تنفيذية فقط والدخول إلى منصة تداولنا عبر الإنترنت، مما يسمح للشخص بمشاهدة و/أو استخدام المحتوى المتاح على موقع الويب أو عن طريقه، وهذا المحتوى لا يراد به التغيير أو التوسع عن ذلك. يخضع هذا الدخول والاستخدام دائماً لما يلي: (1) الشروط والأحكام؛ (2) تحذيرات المخاطر؛ (3) إخلاء المسؤولية الكامل. لذلك يُقدم هذا المحتوى على أنه ليس أكثر من معلومات عامة. تحديداً، يرجى الانتباه إلى أن المحتوى المتاح على منصة تداولنا عبر الإنترنت ليس طلباً أو عرضاً لدخول أي معاملات في الأسواق المالية. التداول في أي سوق مالي به مخاطرة عالية برأس مالك.
جميع المواد المنشورة على منصة تداولنا مخصصة للأغراض التعليمية/المعلوماتية فقط ولا تحتوي - ولا ينبغي اعتبار أنها تحتوي - على نصائح أو توصيات مالية أو ضريبية أو تجارية، أو سجلاً لأسعار تداولنا، أو عرضاً أو طلباً لأي معاملة في أي صكوك مالية أو عروض ترويجية مالية لا داعي لها.
أي محتوى تابع للغير بالإضافة إلى المحتوى الذي أعدته XM، مثل الآراء، والأخبار، والأبحاث، والتحليلات والأسعار وغيرها من المعلومات أو روابط مواقع تابعة للغير وواردة في هذا الموقع تُقدم لك "كما هي"، كتعليق عام على السوق ولا تعتبر نصيحة استثمارية. يجب ألا يُفسر أي محتوى على أنه بحث استثماري، وأن تلاحظ وتقبل أن المحتوى غير مُعدٍ وفقاً للمتطلبات القانونية المصممة لتعزيز استقلالية البحث الاستثماري، وبالتالي، فهو بمثابة تواصل تسويقي بموجب القوانين واللوائح ذات الصلة. فضلاً تأكد من أنك قد قرأت وفهمت الإخطار بالبحوث الاستثمارية غير المستقلة والتحذير من مخاطر المعلومات السابقة، والذي يمكنك الاطلاع عليه هنا.
