Trump endorses Mark Robinson for North Carolina governor and compares him to Martin Luther King Jr.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday endorsed North Carolina Governor Lt. Mark Robinson as governor, just months after the former president promised to do so.
At a rally at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, former President also compared Robinson, who is black, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the famous civil rights leader. He called Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Trump said Robinson was unsure how to respond when Trump compared him to the legendary civil rights leader and told him, “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two.’
“You should like it,” Trump said.
Trump named Robinson among the candidates people should vote for in Tuesday’s Republican primary in North Carolina, saying, “They have my full and complete support.” Ambassador Nikki Haley, from mathematical battle for the GOP nomination.
Despite the lack of a formal endorsement, the ex-president’s support, combined with strong fundraising and popularity among the Republican base, has made Robinson the Republican Party’s frontrunner for the gubernatorial nomination.
Robinson’s chief rivals — state Treasurer Dale Folwell and trial attorney Bill Graham — have questioned his ability to win the general election in November, especially in light of harsh comments on LGBTQ+ rights and other issues.
Trump called Robinson, who also spoke at Saturday’s rally, an “incredible gentleman” and “a great, natural speaker.” Trump recalled, with some inaccuracy, how Robinson rose to fame after a 2018 speech to the Greensboro City Council in support of gun rights and policing that went viral.
That led Robinson to a National Rifle Association board position and was elected the state’s first Black lieutenant governor in 2020 in his first bid for public office.
Robinson, a Greensboro native, said in a news release that he was “humbled” by Trump’s support and that he looked forward to working with Trump to “lead our united Republican ticket to victory in November and rebuild our state and our country.” to get on the right track. ”
Voters will also choose a Democratic candidate for governor on Tuesday. The field includes Attorney General Josh Stein and former Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan. Term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper endorsed Stein months ago.
Democratic Party Chairman Anderson Clayton said the endorsement was not a surprise. North Carolina does not need a leader in Robinson who would “prioritize culture wars that are killing jobs and setting our state back,” she added in a news release.
Statewide elections are typically close affairs in the nation’s ninth-largest state.
__
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Greensboro, North Carolina, contributed to this report.