Donald Trump is still trying to distance himself from North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, claiming that he is not familiar with the gubernatorial race despite endorsing Robinson earlier this year.
At a campaign stop in North Carolina on Monday, Politico asked Trump whether he would still urge his supporters to vote for Robinson, but he decline to give an outright answer.
“I’m not familiar with the race right now,” Trump said. “I haven’t looked, I haven’t seen it.”
In March, Trump endorsed Robinson calling him “Martin Luther King [Jr.] on steroids,” “better than Martin Luther King,” and even “Martin Luther King times two.”
Trump pretending to not know anything about Robinson comes after a bombshell CNN report last month alleged that he made several sexually explicit and racially charged comments on a porn website’s message board, including calling himself a “black NAZI, expressed support for slavery, repeatedly used homophobic slurs and fondly recalled “peeping” on women.
Robinson has denied that the since-deleted porn message board comments were made by him.
Since the report was published, three GOP governors have withdrawn their endorsement, and the Republican Governors Association revealed that it will no longer be spending money in Robinson’s race.
Several top staffers including the campaign manager, finance director, deputy campaign manager, and senior adviser have also resigned from Robinson’s campaign.
Stiil, Trump has not rescinded his endorsement of Robinson, though he has been trying to keep his distance.
Robinson was once a constant presence at Trump rallies, but since August the North Carolina has been absent from Trump events.
