WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Former President on Thursday decried antisemitism hours after an detailed how one of his allies running for North Carolina governor made a series of racial and sexual comments on a website where he also referred to himself as a 鈥渂lack NAZI.鈥�
vowed to remain in the race despite the report, and the Trump campaign appeared to be distancing itself from the candidate while still calling the battleground state a vital part to winning back the White House. Trump has frequently voiced his support for Robinson, who has been considered a rising star in his party despite a history of inflammatory remarks about race and abortion.
Trump did not comment on the allegations during his Thursday addresses to a group of Jewish donors and to the Israeli-American Council in Washington. His campaign issued a statement about the CNN story that did not mention Robinson, saying instead that Trump 鈥渋s focused on winning the White House and saving this country" and that North Carolina was a 鈥渧ital part of that plan.鈥�
Robinson's reported remarks 鈥� including a 2012 comment in which he said he preferred Adolf Hitler to the leadership in Washington 鈥� clashed with Trump's denunciations of antisemitism in Washington and his claim that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, sympathized with enemies of Israel. The story also could threaten Trump's chances of winning North Carolina, a key battleground state, with Robinson already running well behind his Democratic opponent in public polls.
鈥淭his story is not about the governor鈥檚 race in North Carolina. It's about the presidential race," said Paul Shumaker, a Republican pollster who's worked for Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and warned that Trump could risk losing a state he won in 2016 and 2020.
鈥淭he question is going to be, does Mark Robinson cost Donald Trump the White House?鈥� Shumaker added.
After allegations against Robinson became public, a spokesman for Harris鈥� campaign, Ammar Moussa, reposted on social media a photo of Trump and the embattled candidate. 鈥淒onald Trump has a Mark Robinson problem,鈥� he wrote.
The North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement standing by Robinson, noting he 鈥渃ategorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won't stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks.鈥�
Trump has angled to make inroads among Black voters and frequently aligned himself with Robinson along the campaign trail, which has more and more frequently taken him to North Carolina. At a rally in Greensboro, he called Robinson 鈥淢artin Luther King on steroids鈥� in reference to the civil rights leader, for his speaking ability.
Robinson has been on the trail with Trump as recently as last month, when he appeared with the GOP nominee at an event in Asheboro, North Carolina.
Recent polls of North Carolina voters show Trump and Harris locked in a close race. The same polls show Democrat Josh Stein with a roughly 10-point lead over Robinson.
Trump recounts his White House record to Jewish supporters
Both Trump and Harris, the Democratic nominee, were meant to fire up their core supporters, with participating in a livestream with .
Trump appeared Thursday with , a co-owner of the NBA鈥檚 Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate .
鈥淢y promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House,鈥� Trump said during the donor event in Washington, titled 鈥淔ighting Anti-Semitism in America.鈥�
鈥淏ut in all fairness, I already am,鈥� Trump added.
Trump also has been criticized for his association with extremists who spew antisemitic rhetoric such as far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. And when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Trump in 2016, Trump responded in a CNN interview that he knew 鈥渘othing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.鈥�
But during his four years in office Trump approved a series of policy changes long sought by many advocates of Israel, such as moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.
In his remarks, Trump criticized Harris over the Biden administration鈥檚 handling of the Israel-Hamas war and for what he called antisemitic protests on college campuses and elsewhere.
鈥淜amala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a single finger to protect you or to protect your children,鈥� Trump said. He also repeated a talking point that Jewish voters who vote for Democrats 鈥渟hould have their head examined.鈥�
Multiple attendees at the event said they weren't familiar with the story about Robinson or declined to discuss it. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a conservative North Carolina Republican who was asked about the CNN report beforehand, told reporters she wasn't taking questions.
Later Thursday, Trump spoke at the Israeli-American Council National Summit to honor the victims of Hamas鈥� Oct. 7 attack on Israel and painted a dire future for the nation if Harris were to be elected.
鈥淚srael will not exist within two years if she becomes president,鈥� he told the crowd, also adding that if he loses the presidential election to her on Nov. 5 鈥渢he Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that.鈥�
Harris is denied an endorsement by liberals who want a ceasefire
Harris on Thursday faced pressure from parts of her liberal base over the war. Leaders of the Democratic protest vote movement 鈥淯ncommitted" said the group Harris for president, but also urged supporters to vote against Trump. The group, which opposes the Biden administration鈥檚 handling of the Israel-Hamas war, has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. weapons transfers to Israel.
鈥淯ncommitted鈥� drew hundreds of thousands of votes in this year's Democratic primaries, surfacing a rift within the party. The group has warned that some Democratic voters may stay home in November, particularly in places like Michigan.
Harris鈥� campaign did not directly address the group鈥檚 announcement, but said in a statement that she will 鈥渃ontinue working to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way where Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.鈥�
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
Will Weissert, Brian Slodysko And Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press
