Donald Trump ignores elephant in the room at North Carolina rally

Speaking at a rally in Mount Hill, North Carolina, former President Donald Trump avoided mentioning Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, despite the ongoing controversy surrounding him.

Rather than addressing the scandal involving Robinson, who is accused of posting racist and sexist messages on Internet forums, Trump focused on familiar themes like illegal immigration, jobs, crime and the economy. The Republican candidate also renewed his attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump’s polls in North Carolina remain tight, with most polls predicting a close race. A new poll released yesterday has Harris leading by just one point, while another gives Trump a narrow two-point lead.

While Trump has refrained from mentioning Robinson, top Republicans are trying to distance the former president from the North Carolina lieutenant governor and the controversy surrounding his alleged remarks. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said on Fox News that Trump was unaware of the remarks attributed to Robinson.

This is the second time Trump has visited North Carolina without mentioning Robinson, who was once a regular at his rallies in the state. Trump endorsed Robinson for governor in March, ahead of the North Carolina primary, describing him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

On Wednesday, Trump focused on the economy, pledging to protect manufacturing, which is a big part of the economies of key Midwestern and Southern states. Harris, meanwhile, narrowed the gap on that crucial election issue.

Although Trump has consistently led on the economy and immigration, his lead has narrowed in recent weeks. His campaign is particularly eager to win back Rust Belt voters, who were instrumental in his 2016 victory.

In his recent rallies, Trump has focused on economic issues, an area where he maintains a lead over Harris. Yesterday in Georgia, his campaign launched the slogan “Make America Wealthy Again.”

Trump also addressed the war in Ukraine, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “the greatest salesman on the planet” while criticizing the Biden administration for its continued support for Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion.

“Every time he came to our country, he left with $60 billion,” Trump noted, while attacking Biden and Harris and claiming that under his administration, “this would never have happened.”

This is a developing topic and will be updated with more information.