WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump returns to North Carolina on Saturday, campaigning in the key Southern state that Democrats and Republicans alike see as increasingly critical to victory in November.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. ET. Watch his remarks in the player above.
But Trump will campaign in Wilmington, on the state’s southern coast, without Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate and one of the former president’s top spokesmen in the state, after a CNN report about his alleged posts on a porn website forum. Two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity said Friday that Robinson was not scheduled to attend the Wilmington event.
LEARN MORE: Mark Robinson won’t attend Trump rally after online post, sources tell AP
Robinson has denied writing the messages, which contain obscene and racist comments, saying Thursday that he would not be coerced into dropping out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” Trump’s campaign appeared to distance itself from Robinson following the CNN report, which the AP has not independently verified, saying in a statement to the AP 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.
Although Robinson won the Republican primary for governor in March, he has lagged in several recent polls behind Democratic challenger Josh Stein, the state attorney general. Republican officials in the state have backed Robinson, whose decision to continue campaigning could threaten the GOP’s prospects in other key races, including Trump’s efforts in a swing state he has already won twice.
Democrats have seized the opportunity to highlight the Trump-Robinson connection, with billboards showing the two together, as well as a new ad from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties and Robinson’s support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions. According to Harris’ campaign, this is their first ad campaign linking Trump to a down-ballot race.
Trump’s first outdoor rally since the second apparent assassination attempt took place at the Wilmington airport, where a large American flag hung from a crane, along with hundreds of chairs and room for many more spectators. Bulletproof glass surrounded the stage area where Trump was scheduled to speak, a new precaution for outdoor venues put in place by the Secret Service after a bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Supporters listen to the invocation on the day Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, September 21, 2024. Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters
Charlie Kimball, a 46-year-old former construction worker from Burgaw who said he is currently on disability, dismissed the allegations against Robinson as “fake news.”
“It’s his private life. Who cares?” Kimball said. “It’s just rumors. It’s not true. It’s just speculation. Where’s the evidence?”
Since 1976, a Republican has won North Carolina in every general election except once, when Barack Obama won the state in 2008. Trump won there in his previous two campaigns, but by less than 1.5 percentage points over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the narrowest margin of any state Trump has won. That’s partly why Democrats see the state as winnable this fall.
With no Senate seats at stake, the gubernatorial race has been North Carolina’s key election this year. Robinson has become a natural spokesman for Trump in the state and a frequent presence at campaign events, appearing alongside the candidate last month at an event in Asheboro. Trump has long praised Robinson, who is black, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Endorsing Robinson ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary, Trump continued: “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two.”
As presidential candidates increasingly travel to the Rust Belt regions of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, both Harris and Trump have made multiple trips to North Carolina, underscoring the state’s importance. After Biden dropped out of the race in July, Trump held his first major rally there, focusing all of his attention on Harris.
Wilmington is home to New Hanover County, which Biden won in 2020. But his margin over Trump in the county was among the narrowest in the state.
Julia Novotny, 55, of Wilmington, said she ended up supporting Trump after initial reservations because of allegations he sexually abused women, which he denies.
“He’s classy, he’s a gentleman, he looks good in a suit and he has strong values,” Novotny said. “Everybody makes mistakes, and I don’t know if he did or not, but you know what? Leave him alone. He’s a good man. He wants to change this country. Our country is in the mud, and the only man who can get us out of it is Donald Trump.”
