North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson will not attend former President Donald Trump's rally in the state Saturday, The Hill reported.
Robinson, the lieutenant governor, has vowed to remain in the race after CNN reported that he made inflammatory comments on a pornography website between 2008 and 2012, before he entered politics.
CNN reported Thursday that Robinson referred to himself as a "black NAZI!" and expressed support for reinstating slavery and transgender pornography on the pornography website Nude Africa.
The comments were allegedly made under a username that CNN said it was able to identify as Robinson's by "matching a litany of biographical details and a shared email address between the two."
Politico reported that Robinson created a profile on a website designed to help married men have affairs.
Trump has previously endorsed Robinson, comparing him to Martin Luther King Jr.
"We are confident that as voters compare the Trump record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border, and safe streets, with the failures of Biden-Harris, then President Trump will win the Tar Heel State once again. We will not take our eye off the ball," national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that did not mention Robinson by name.
Robinson trails his opponent, Josh Stein, the state attorney general, by 11 points, according to recent polling.
Trump defeated President Joe Biden in 2020 in North Carolina, 49.93% to 48.59%. According to RealClearPolitics, Trump currently leads Vice President Kamala Harris, 47.6% to 47.5%.