With the US presidential election fast approaching, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have intensified their campaigns across battleground states.
Trump made three campaign stops in North Carolina on Monday, but a question from a reporter about his endorsement of North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson sparked fresh controversy.
As Trump wrapped up a press conference, a reporter asked, “Do you still endorse Mark Robinson, who called himself a ‘Nazi’ and called for ‘bringing back’ slavery?” Trump responded, “I’m not familiar with the race.I haven’t seen it,” deflecting the question.
This response quickly ignited backlash on social media, with users on X (formerly Twitter) accusing Trump of hypocrisy and inconsistency. Critics pointed out that back in March, Trump had praised Robinson, referring to him as “Martin Luther King on steroids” and telling Robinson that he was “better than Martin Luther King.” Many users questioned how Trump could now claim ignorance of Robinson’s campaign and controversies.
One user on X wrote, “Mark Robinson thrown under the bus just the way Elon Musk will be thrown under the bus when Trump loses the election.”
While another claimed that Trump was out of touch, “Imagine campaigning at 3 events in NC today and saying you’re not familiar with the governor’s race,” -currently Mark Robinson is the state’s lieutenant governor and is the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s gubernatorial race.
One user quipped saying, “The white and black Nazis are not BFFs anymore. SAD!” while another tweeted, “Alzheimer’s,” validating Harris’ campaign stance on Trump’s health.
The Republican nominee for North Carolina governor has faced intense backlash after a CNN KFile investigation revealed inflammatory comments he made between 2008 and 2012 on the pornographic website ‘Nude Africa’ under the username “minisoldr.” The posts included offensive remarks about race, gender, and abortion. Robinson has denied making the comments, dismissing the revelations as “tabloid trash” and claiming they do not reflect his character or beliefs.