Vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance tripped over his words on Friday at a rally in North Carolina and appaered to briefly praise the state’s scandal-plagued lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, who’s accused of claiming to be a “Black Nazi” in online comments on a porn site.
“I want to give a shout out, to, and you guys have a great lieutenant governor,” Vance told the crowd. “Sorry, we’ve got— sorry, Mark isn’t here.”
Last month, it was reported that Robinson, a rising star in state politics who’s running for governor, frequently commented on a porn site, referring to himself as a “perv” and a “Black Nazi.” He also reportedly commented that he enjoyed pornography featuring transgender people, despite a history of anti-trans rhetoric.
Robinson, whom Trump endorsed and once called Martin Luther King, Jr, “on steroids,” denied the reports and claimed they were somehow related to artificial intelligence.
“Look, I’m not going to get into the minutiae of how somebody manufactured these salacious tabloid lies,” he told CNN. “But I can tell you this: there’s been more than $1 million spent on me with AI by a billionaire’s son who’s bound and determined to destroy me.”
The Republican candidate sued CNN in October.
Since the scandal broke, the Trump campaign has kept Robinson at arms length.
When asked about Robinson last month, Vance equivocated.
“I don’t not believe him, I don’t believe him — I just think that you have to let these things sometimes play out in the court of public opinion,” he told NBC News.
“The allegations are pretty far out there, of course, but I know that allegations aren’t necessarily reality,” he added. “I just think that fundamentally it’s Mark Robinson and the people of North Carolina that get to decide whether he’s their governor.”
The Robinson scandal could impact the presidential election, as North Carolina is a key swing state both campaigns are hoping to win.
According to our poll tracker, both campaigns are virtually tied in swing state polling.
