Topline
North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, is under fire for a trove of controversial posts he made on a pornographic online forum before his entrance into politics—building on his long history of incendiary online rhetoric.
Mark Robinson, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina and candidate for Governor, delivers remarks … [+]
Timeline
CNN reported an account associated with Robinson, the state’s sitting lieutenant governor, made a string of incendiary statements on a pornographic website forum between 2008 and 2012, including disparaging Martin Luther King Jr., encouraging the return of slavery, referring to himself as a “Black NAZI” and using homophobic and antisemitic slurs.
A Democratic attack ad resurfaced video showing Robinson saying in 2019 that abortion is “about killing the child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down,” which is among a litany of anti-abortion comments Robinson has made, despite admitting his wife had an abortion when she became pregnant by him before they were married, what Robinson said in a 2022 video was the “wrong” decision.
Robinson in campaign speeches suggested transgender women should be arrested for using women’s restrooms and also said “if you are confused [about your gender], find a corner outside somewhere to go.”
Robinson fueled the baseless right-wing conspiracy theory that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., husband was in a drunken dispute with a male prostitute when he was attacked at their home by an intruder, posting a meme on Facebook of a Spirit Halloween “attacker” costume of a man in underwear holding a hammer, captioning the post “I’m sorry Paul I don’t believe you or the press!!!!”
Robinson said in a church sermon that “if there’s a movement in this country that is demonic and that is full of the spirit of antichrist, it is the transgender movement.”
Robinson, discussing whether LGBTQ+ instruction should be part of public school curriculum, said “there’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” in a speech at a local church.
Robinson suggested the Holocaust was a hoax, writing on Facebook “this foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash.”
Robinson called Michelle Obama a man, writing on Facebook that he’ll be glad when the former president “takes his boyfriend and leaves the White House.”
Beyoncé “teaches our young women how to be hyper-sexual whores,” Robinson wrote on Facebook, adding that “Hillary Clinton” is “okay with that.”
Robinson wrote on Facebook it is a “sad fact” that “religious freedom in this country now means Muslims are free to do as they please and anyone who says anything about it is a bigot,” the Huffington Post reported, along with a screenshot of the post and several other Islamophobic posts by Robinson, including a June 2016 meme that says “until they let us build churches in Saudi Arabia, we shouldn’t let them build mosque in America.”
Robinson wrote on Facebook, in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting that left 49 people dead and 53 injured, “homosexuality is STILL an abominable sin and I WILL NOT join in ‘celebrating gay pride’ nor will I fly their sacrilegious flag on my page,” adding that he was praying for the victims of the “terrorist” shooting and their families.
News Peg
Robinson wrote on a forum on the pornographic website Nude Africa that “slavery is not bad” and “some people need to be slaves . . . I would certainly buy a few,” according to CNN. He also called Martin Luther King Jr. a “f*cking commie bastard,” referred to himself as a “Black NAZI,” and used the homophobic slur “f*ggot” and the antisemitic slur “hebe,” CNN reported. Robinson made the posts under the username “minisoldr,” according to CNN, which reported that the account was linked to Robinson’s email address, while also noting he has used the “minisoldr” moniker elsewhere on the internet and that biographical references “minisoldr” made on the forum match Robinson’s background.
Contra
Robinson denied the CNN report in a pre-rebuttal video hours before it was made public, as rumors swirled throughout the day about the forthcoming report. “The things you will see in that story are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character,” Robinson said. While the Nude Africa posts have reportedly been deleted, many of Robinson’s controversial Facebook posts are still live.
Key Background
Robinson’s rise in politics began when an impassioned pro-gun speech he made before a local city council in 2018 went viral and was widely shared among those on the right, including Fox News and Breitbart. Reports of his previous activity on social media began to trickle out soon after he gained national prominence and became enmeshed in conservative political circles. Robinson was elected lieutenant governor in 2020, and has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, who endorsed his gubernatorial campaign, calling Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Tangent
Some Republicans, including Scott Lassiter, who is running for Senate in North Carolina, have suggested Robinson should drop out of the race, but Robinson on Thursday vowed to stay in the contest. If he were to drop out, Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein—his opponent—would almost certainly win, as the deadline to replace Robinson on the ballot was Thursday at midnight. North Carolina is seen as a swing state this year in the presidential election, and enthusiasm for Robinson’s candidacy could help the GOP drive voter participation and aid Trump, while a strong push against him could aid Democrats. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded to the CNN report in a statement to multiple outlets that did not mention Robinson, but said “President Trump’s campaign is focused on winning the White House and saving this country,” adding “we are confident that . . . President Trump will win the Tarheel State once again.”
