Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind North Carolina lieutenant governor and GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, a figure with what The New Republic’s Greg Sargent describes as a “long history of wildly radical and unhinged moments.”
Robinson, the first Black lieutenant governor of North Carolina, stirred controversy with his remarks during a June 30 speech at a church in White Lake, North Carolina. He stated, “Some folks need killing. It’s time for somebody to say it. It’s not a matter of vengeance. It’s not a matter of being mean or spiteful. It’s a matter of necessity.”
These comments have drawn significant attention, yet columnist Jay Michaelson, writing for Rolling Stone, expressed dismay that Robinson’s remarks have not provoked widespread condemnation. Michaelson, who identifies as “a queer rabbi,” found it “personally unsettling” that Robinson’s rhetoric has not been more widely challenged and that Trump has not been questioned about his support for Robinson.
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Robinson gained notoriety as an internet troll, particularly on Facebook. He has propagated conspiracy theories, including claims that Jewish people created the Black Panther movement “to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze [the Yiddish N-word] pockets” and allegations that the Holocaust is exaggerated for political purposes.
Trump’s backing of Robinson has raised eyebrows, especially after the former president declared during a North Carolina rally earlier this year that Robinson is “better than Martin Luther King.” Despite Robinson trailing by 14 points in the gubernatorial race, Trump remains competitive with Kamala Harris in North Carolina’s presidential race, according to Michaelson, who highlights the lack of accountability in Trump’s support for such a controversial figure.
Michaelson argues that “Even by 2024 standards, this isn’t normal,” noting that while Robinson’s personal theology may be his own business, his intent to merge those beliefs with the power of the state is a cause for concern. He warns that Robinson’s racist, antisemitic, and homophobic views, once merely internet provocations, could become policies with real-world consequences if he ascends to the governorship.
“As lieutenant governor and now a candidate for governor,” Michaelson concludes, Robinson has the authority to enact these “lunatic beliefs into actual policies that affect people’s lives.” The support from Trump for such a candidate, Michaelson suggests, underscores a troubling trend in the current political landscape.