Mark Robinson to no longer appear alongside Trump after porn site report

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will no longer appear at an upcoming campaign event with former President Donald Trump after CNN reported on his allegedly racist and sexist posts on a pornography website.

Robinson, the 2024 Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, will not speak or appear at Trump’s rally Saturday in Wilmington, a Trump campaign official and another person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, by email for comment.

On Thursday, CNN reported that more than a decade ago, Robinson allegedly made a series of inflammatory comments on a porn site’s forum, including calling himself a “black Nazi” and a “pervert.”

While Robinson has used anti-transgender rhetoric in recent years, including using the word “filth” while discussing gay and transgender people during a 2021 church speech, he also reportedly said on the messaging board that he enjoys watching transgender pornography.

Robinson has repeatedly denied making the comments, calling them “salacious tabloid lies” to CNN. In a video message, Robinson reassured his supporters that “those are not Mark Robinson’s words” and that he remains in the race for governor of North Carolina.

Previously contacted for comment by NewsweekRobinson’s campaign referenced the lieutenant governor’s video message.

Republican 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump has previously endorsed and praised Robinson, calling the black politician “Martin Luther King on steroids.” Robinson has also attended Trump’s campaign events in North Carolina.

Following the CNN report, the Trump campaign released a vague statement that did not name Robinson but said North Carolina was a “vital part” of the plan to secure a second Trump victory.

Trump won North Carolina in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. However, his margin of victory in 2020 was slim, as he received 49.9% of the vote and current President Joe Biden received 48.6%. According to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Trump currently leads Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris by just 0.1 points (47.5% to 47.4%).

Robinson’s alleged comments on a pornography site could not only hurt his race against Democratic nominee Josh Stein, North Carolina’s attorney general, but also the GOP’s prospects in other races, including Trump’s.

“The consequences will be enormous,” Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, told The Associated Press on Friday.

Some Republicans have called on Robinson to suspend his candidacy before Thursday’s deadline, but Robinson remained the Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina on Friday. Stein, meanwhile, is ahead of Robinson in polls heading into the November election.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.