WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump denounced antisemitism on Thursday, hours after an explosive CNN report detailed how one of his allies running for governor of North Carolina made a series of racist and sexual comments on a website where he also referred to himself as a “black Nazi.”
North Carolina's Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson, stated that he will continue in the race despite the report, and Trump's campaign seemed to distance itself from the candidate while still emphasizing that the closely contested state is a key territory to win the elections. Trump has frequently expressed his support for Robinson, who has been seen as a rising star in his party despite his history of inflammatory comments about race and abortion.
Trump did not address the accusations during his speeches on Thursday in front of a group of Jewish donors and the Israeli-American Council in Washington. His campaign team issued a statement regarding the CNN report without mentioning Robinson, stating instead that Trump "is focused on winning the White House and saving this country" and that North Carolina is a "key part of that plan."
The alleged statements by Robinson - including a 2012 comment in which he said he preferred Adolf Hitler to the leaders in Washington - clashed with Trump's allegations of antisemitism in the US government and his claim that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, sympathizes with Israel's enemies. The note could also jeopardize Trump's chances of winning in North Carolina, a key state in the battle, considering that Robinson is well behind his Democratic opponent in public polls.
"This story is not about the race for the governorship of North Carolina. It's about the presidential race," said Paul Shumaker, a Republican pollster who has worked for North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, and warned that Trump could be risking losing a state he won in 2016 and 2020.
"The question is going to be: Will Mark Robinson cost the White House to Donald Trump?" added Shumaker.
After the allegations against Robinson came to light, a spokesperson 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 Republican Party of North Carolina issued a statement supporting Robinson, in which they stated that they "categorically deny the accusations made by CNN, but that will not stop the left from attempting to demonize him through personal attacks."
Trump has tried to win the support of black voters, and throughout the campaign he has frequently aligned himself with Robinson, which is why he has been more present in North Carolina. At a rally in Greensboro, he called Robinson a "Martin Luther King with steroids," referring to the civil rights leader, for his speaking abilities.
Trump was accompanied by Miriam Adelson, co-owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
"My promise to the American people of Jewish origin is this: with your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend that Americans of Jewish origin have ever had in the White House," Trump declared during the donor event in Washington, titled "Fighting Anti-Semitism in the United States."
"But to be honest, I already am," added Trump.
Could you please provide some text for me to translate?
Gómez Licón reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Associated Press journalist Thomas Beaumont, in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.