Trump appears in battleground state without key ally after ‘Black Nazi’ porn scandal

Wilmington, North Carolina: Donald Trump has returned to North Carolina, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.

Trump campaigned in Wilmington, along the state’s southern coast, without Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee and one of the former president’s top surrogates in the state, following a CNN report about his alleged posts on a pornography website’s message board. He did not mention Robinson during a speech that lasted just over an hour.

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at North Carolina Aviation Museum.Credit: AP

CNN reported that Robinson posted sexually explicit and derogatory content on an adult website, including describing himself as a “Black Nazi,” condoning slavery, using antisemitic language and discussing watching young women shower.

Robinson has denied writing the posts, which include lewd and racist comments, saying that he wouldn’t be forced out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” Trump’s campaign has appeared to distance itself from Robinson in the wake of the CNN reporting, which the AP has not independently verified, saying in a statement that Trump “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country” and calling North Carolina “a vital part of that plan,” without mentioning Robinson.

Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together, as well as a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties as well as Robinson’s support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions. According to Harris’ campaign, it’s their first ad effort related to tying Trump to a down-ballot race.

Both abortion rights and Robinson are electoral liabilities for Trump in a state he previously won twice. Already before CNN’s report, Robinson was trailing in several recent polls to Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general. Polls show Trump and Harris locked in a close race here and nationally.

Trump downplays abortion as a campaign issue

In his first outdoor rally since the second apparent attempt to assassinate him, Trump argued women would be safer and more prosperous with him as president and would “no longer be thinking about abortion.”

“I will protect women at a level never seen before. They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe and secure,” Trump said. “Their lives will be happy, beautiful, and their lives will be great again. So women, we love you. We’re going to take care of you.”

The former president said women won’t have to think about abortion because decisions about regulating it are now left to the states. Many Republican-led states have taken steps to restrict or eliminate abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. Trump nominated three of the six justices who voted to overturn Roe.

North Carolina banned most abortions after 12 weeks last year, with Republicans in the state legislature overriding Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s veto.

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.Credit: AP

Voters overwhelmingly say they trust Harris to do a better job handling abortion policy, with 55 per cent favouring her while 27 per cent favoured Trump in a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.

Harris and Democrats running down ballot have highlighted stories of women who faced severe medical complications or death because they didn’t get proper medical care from doctors worried about the impact of abortion laws. Harris on Friday blasted Trump as a threat to women’s freedoms and their lives, warning in a speech in Georgia that Republicans would continue to target access to abortion if he returns to the White House.

“Trump is scared out of his mind that women will vote like our freedoms and our lives are on the line this November – and he should be, because that’s exactly what we will do,” Harris campaign Sarafina Chitika said in a statement after Trump’s rally.

Trump also showed a gentler side, inviting two of his young grandchildren on stage. The former president lifted Carolina to the microphone, where she said “Make America great again” to cheers, followed by her older brother, Luke Trump, who said, “Vote for Grandpa.” They’re the children of Eric Trump, the former president’s second son, and his wife, Lara Trump, a North Carolina native who is now serving as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

Donald Trump holds his grandson Luke Trump during the campaign rally.Credit: AP

Bulletproof glass surrounded Trump as he spoke, a new precaution for outdoor venues the Secret Service implemented after a bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump supporters dismiss the new claims against Robinson

A Republican has carried North Carolina in every general election since 1976 save one, when Barack Obama won the state in 2008. Trump won there in both his previous campaigns but by less than 1.5 percentage points over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the closest margin of any state that Trump won. That’s part of why Democrats see the state as winnable this fall.

With neither Senate seat up for grabs, the gubernatorial contest has been North Carolina’s marquee down-ballot race this year. Robinson has become a natural top surrogate for Trump in the state and a frequent presence at campaign events there, appearing with the nominee as recently as an event last month in Asheboro. Trump has long praised Robinson, who is Black, referring to him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

Donald Trump speaking behind the bulletproof glass at his first outdoor rally since last week’s alleged attempted assassination. Credit: AP

Endorsing Robinson ahead of the GOP gubernatorial primary, Trump continued: “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.”

Robinson has a long history of making inflammatory comments, including suggesting women who sought abortion “weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down” and comparing abortion to slavery.

AP

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