Scandal in the swing state of North Carolina The "black Nazi" is becoming a problem for Donald Trump

Mark Robinson wants to be governor of North Carolina. But now the black Republican is being confronted with old statements that really pack a punch. Will the scandal not only cost him the election, but also Trump?

For Donald Trump, Mark Robinson is like "Martin Luther King on steroids": when the USA elects a new president on November 5, the 56-year-old wants to win the office of governor of North Carolina at the same time.

North Carolina is an important swing state: the state sends 16 electors to the Electoral College, which determines who moves into the White House. In 2020, Donald Trump was ahead of Joe Biden there - with 74,483 more votes or a 1.34 percent lead.

North Carolina is therefore an important building block for Donald Trump's election victory, but he is now facing headwinds from his own man: Mark Robinson is making a lot of negative headlines. But voters are already used to a lot from him.

The black politician once said of the Marvel film "Black Panther" that it was "created by an agnostic Jew and filmed by satanic Marxists". Robinson has also commented on the Holocaust: "This stupidity that Hitler disarmed MILLIONS of Jews and marched them into concentration camps is nonsense."

The "black Nazi" from "Nude Africa"

The fact that Robinson doesn't like homosexuality, transgender, feminists and abortion fits the picture. But the latest scandal now threatens to permanently damage his image: A "black Nazi" who praises "Mein Kampf" while raving about how he was a peeping Tom as a 14-year-old in the forum of the website "Nude Africa" is unlikely to go down well with the conservative electorate at all.

What happened? CNN dropped the bombshell on September 17. The journalists rummaged through the forum of the porn website "Nude Africa" and discovered disturbing comments posted by the user "minisoldr" between 2008 and 2012. "I am a black Nazi", was one of the comments posted in October 2010.

CNN is certain that Robinson is behind the user, who calls himself "Perv" for pervert. He has used the name "minisoldr" on other websites such as YouTube or X: His real name is also stored on "Nude Africa".

"I would certainly buy a few slaves"

"minisoldr" reports in the forum how he climbed a ladder as a 14-year-old to peek into a women's shower and expresses his preference for trans sex. In December 2010, he wrote with regard to celebrities who have had abortions: "I don't care. I just want to see the sex tape."

He calls Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) a "communist bastard" - and "minisoldr" is even accused of being an advocate of white supremacy. "I'm not in the KKK [Ku Klux Klan]. They don't let black people join. If I was in the KKK, I would have called [MLK] Martin Lucifer Koon." Koon is a derogatory term for black people.

"Slavery ain't bad," "minisoldr" goes on to state. "Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring [slavery] back. I'd buy some slaves for sure." In 2012, the user wrote with regard to Barack Obama: "I'd prefer Hitler to any shit that's in Washington now."

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Republicans are keeping a low profile

While CNN can conclusively prove that "minisoldr" and Mark Robinson are one and the same person, Robinson's team denies the report - two days after the US broadcaster asked for comment. The revelations come at an inopportune time for the Republicans 42 days before the election.

The reactions in his party are mixed: Donald Trump is said to have canceled a joint appearance in Wilmington, North Carolina, but according to "NBC News" , the New Yorker does not want to withdraw his support for Robinson. His designated deputy James David Vance is also keeping a low profile on the issue.

Other party greats are cautiously distancing themselves. Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina, says that Robinson cannot take office if the allegations turn out to be true. Tom Cotton, senator from Arkansas, says Robinson "owes the people of North Carolina more answers" on the matter.

Women should "get their groins under control"

However, the scandal surrounding the "black Nazi" is increasingly becoming a problem for the Republicans. Some top people are said to have left Robinson's campaign team following the revelations. At the same time, old ghosts from the past are resurfacing.

In a video from 2020, the gubernatorial candidate talks about the former racial laws of the USA: "During Jim Crow, black people had it best in this country," says Robinson. Two years later, the politician appears at the Hilltop Baptist Church in Thomasville, North Carolina, and talks about equal rights.

"Why don't you use the building of your consciousness and building of your entitlement to focus on this region down here," Robinson says, grabbing his crotch and demanding, looking at the women's groin area, "Get this under control."

Does the scandal in North Carolina tip the scales?

Political opponents are already capitalizing on the scandal. A clip of a campaign appearance by Tim Walz has been viewed almost three million times on X: Kamala Harris' running mate-elect speaks in Allentown, Pennsylvania about how the steel industry in Minnesota helped win World War II.

"We have people who want to be governor and are proud to call themselves Nazis," is Walz's bottom line. Harris' campaign and the Republican anti-Trump super PAC The Lincoln Project have now also taken aim at Robinson.

Ordinary citizens are also venting their displeasure: the case is likely to influence not only the gubernatorial election, but also the presidential election. And that could be decisive: Donald Trump is currently 0.1 percent ahead of Kamala Harris in North Carolina.