A month after a report revealed incendiary online comments made by he Republican candidate for North Carolina's governor race and self-proclaimed "Black Nazi, "Mark Robinson, the Trump campaign is trying to distance the former president from the controversy despite him previously endorsing his bid.
During a campaign event in Asheville, North Carolina, a reporter asked former president Trump if he still endorsed Robinson. "I'm not familiar with the race. I haven't seen it," Trump replied.
Robinson has faced increased public scrutiny after CNN published an investigation in September that revealed the candidate referred to himself as a "black NAZI!" and a "perv" on message boards in pornography sites, as well as expressing support for reinstating slavery and saying he enjoyed watching transgender pornography.
CNN said that it verified that Robinson made the unearthed comments under the username "minisoldr" through both his comments and profile, which offered details that aligned with his personal background, including his name, age, location and marriage details. That username was also used by Robinson on other websites, such as YouTube, Amazon and Pinterest.
Since the initial reporting, Robinson has denied the allegations, telling people "you know my character." Nevertheless, Republicans, including Trump, have pushed him aside to prevent his unpopularity and controversy from splashing into their own races.
For instance, he has not appeared with Robinson since mid-August, when the lieutenant governor came onstage as Trump called for local sheriffs to come up. That time, Robinson was not explicitly invited up, Politico reports.
Trump's alleged lack of information comes even as the two Republican candidates often appeared at events together or have previously praised one another.
During the primary election in March, Trump formally endorsed Robinson, comparing him to one of America's most prominent civil rights leaders.
"This is Martin Luther King on steroids," Trump said at a rally in Greensboro back in March. "I told that to Mark. I said: 'I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.'"
Robinson was also given a speaking slot on the first night of the Republican National Convention in July. He cast Trump as a courageous leader who would cure the economic challenges facing U.S. workers.
In August, Robinson joined Trump at a rally in Asheboro. It was Trump's first outdoor rally after he was wounded in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. "He's out there. He's fighting," Trump said of Robinson. "He's a great one."
The scandal has impacted Robinson's standing in the polls. According to FiveThirtyEight's aggregator, he trails by double digits in most surveys conducted over the past month.
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