Donald Trump made his return to North Carolina on Saturday, campaigning in the pivotal battleground state with a focus on appealing directly to women voters.
During his speech, Trump claimed that he would be a better advocate for women than Vice President Kamala Harris, who is positioning herself to make history as the first female president. Trump emphasized his commitment to women's issues, contrasting his leadership with that of Harris, as he sought to rally support in the southern state ahead of the upcoming election.
During his first outdoor rally following the second apparent assassination attempt against him, according to The Associated Press, Trump asserted that women would experience greater safety and prosperity with him as president, suggesting that they would "no longer be focused on abortion."
"I will protect women at a level never seen before. They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe and secure," Trump said. "Their lives will be happy, beautiful, and their lives will be great again. So women, we love you. We're going to take care of you."
The former president further claimed that women would no longer need to think about abortion since decisions regarding its regulation are now made at the state level. Following the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, several Republican-led states have taken action to restrict or eliminate abortion access. Trump notably nominated three of the six justices responsible for that decision.
Last year, North Carolina prohibited most abortions after 12 weeks, as Republicans in the state legislature overrode a veto from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.
On the other hand, Robinson, who has participated in previous Trump rallies in the battleground state, was absent this time following a CNN report that detailed how he allegedly referred to himself as a "Black NAZI" and suggested reinstating slavery in comments made on a pornography website. He has denied these allegations and stated that he will continue his campaign for governor.
However, ahead of Trump's visit, the Democratic National Committee rolled out new advertisements in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro that link Trump to Robinson. Even before the CNN report, Robinson was trailing his opponent, Democrat Josh Stein, which raised concerns that he could negatively impact Trump's chances in the state if some disillusioned Republicans choose to stay home on Election Day or switch their support to Harris.
At the rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump also hinted that he refuse to participate in a second debate with Harris after she accepted CNN's invitation for an Oct. 23 showdown. Trump claimed that he would like to debate -- calling it "good entertainment value" -- but the start of early voting in some states had taken the air out of the idea.
"It's just too late, voting has already started," he said.
He added, to a large and enthusiastic crowd of supporters, that while CNN had been "very fair" when he debated President Joe Biden in June, "they won't be fair again."
Trump secured victory in North Carolina during the 2020 election against Biden. However, Harris is working to flip the southeastern state for the Democrats, leveraging support from African American and young voters.
In his speech on Saturday, Trump reiterated his hardline anti-immigrant rhetoric, falsely asserting that migrants were "attacking villages and cities across the Midwest." He also assured the audience that the United States would "reach Mars before the end of my term."
