Source: WRAL
Even though ex-President Donald Trump announced his intention to endorse Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for governor in 2024 several weeks ago, Robinson insisted he would wait to make his presidential endorsement, giving all the candidates a chance to impress him, he told Charlotte’s WBT radio.
That wait lasted less than two weeks. According to WRAL, Robinson officially endorsed Trump at the Faith & Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 23.
“This nation needs a fighter, someone who is willing to go onto the world stage, walk in boldly, strongly, waving the American flag, saying: ‘The Americans are here and we’re in charge again, and we’re going to lead this world into the future, with freedom,” Robinson said.
“That’s what America needs and that is why, on this stage today, I am endorsing Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States of America in 2024,” he continued. “No more of this soft talk. No more of this easy-speak.”
Robinson likes to act like he doesn’t give in to pressure from any outside forces, but his endorsement came just a week after other Republicans running for governor criticized him for his hesitation to endorse.
In a June 10 interview with WBT radio, Robinson told the interviewer that he wasn’t ready to endorse anyone for president.
“I love President Trump. I really do,” Robinson told WBT radio. “And I love him because of his body of work. The four years he was in office, he did amazing things in this country.”
He continued: “President Trump is a guy for me. But I don’t discount any of the candidates. And I’m not necessarily — right now, at this moment — ready to endorse anybody. But I can tell you that right now I’m MAGA. If they want to call it that, I’m MAGA all the way because I saw what it did last time, and I know what those policies can do in the future.”
Those comments came after Trump praised Robinson at the North Carolina GOP convention in Greensboro.
There, Trump told the crowd “I’m going to endorse Mark, but I’m not going to tell you about it tonight, OK? We’ll save it for another time. But you can count on it, Mark. Congratulations. Great job. You’ve been doing a fantastic job.”
The twice-impeached, recently federally indicted former president also called Robinson “one of the great stars of the party, one of the great stars in politics.”
A week after the NCGOP convention, Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who’s also running in the gubernatorial primary, said Robinson’s hesitation to endorse Trump “is no more bizarre than anything else he has said or done in the past 1,000 days” as lieutenant governor, WRAL reported.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, another GOP gubernatorial candidate, said Robinson wasn’t being honest about his convictions.
“Once President Trump learns about the real Mark Robinson we’ll see if he wants to run on a ticket with him,” Walker told WRAL in a statement. “There are a lot of questions the lieutenant governor will have to answer, but I’m not here to talk about personal finances, outrageous comments, alienating entire voting blocks [sic] our party needs, or who he hasn’t endorsed.”
Trump has not yet “officially” endorsed Robinson and he hasn’t given an indication as to when he will.
Robinson’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment from WRAL.
