Trump bemoans lack of support from Jewish voters as claims of ally’s antisemitism emerge – US politics live

Good morning and welcome to our blog covering US politics in the run-up to the presidential election following another tumultuous evening where Donald Trump bemoaned a lack of support from Jewish voters just hours after allegations emerged that a Republican ally had referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on a pornography website.

Trump failed to mention the claims in a CNN report against Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, during a speech on Thursday at the Israeli-American Council national summit in Washington.

In his speech, the former president lamented that he was trailing Kamala Harris among American Jews. Israel would likely cease to exist within two years should Harris win the election, and Jews would be partly to blame for that outcome because they tend to vote for Democrats, Trump argued.

If I don’t win this election – and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40%, I mean, 60% of the people are voting for the enemy – Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years.

Trump was citing a poll that he said showed Harris polling at 60% among American Jews. You can read our report on his speech here.

Meanwhile, according to CNN’s reporting, Robinson referred to himself as a “perv” in archived messages because he “enjoyed watching transgender pornography”. The messages were made between 2008 and 2012 on “Nude Africa”, a pornographic website that includes a message board.

He also allegedly expressed support for reinstating slavery. “Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it [slavery] back. I would certainly buy a few,” he wrote in October 2010. In March 2012, during the Obama administration, it was claimed he wrote: “I’d take Hitler over any of the shit that’s in Washington right now!”

CNN reported that Robinson, who would be North Carolina’s first Black governor, also attacked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr in searing terms and once referred to himself as a “black Nazi”.

Robinson has denied the report – “Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story — those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” – he said on a video posted to X. And said he is staying in the race.

The North Carolina Republican party is standing by him. “Mark Robinson has categorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won’t stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks,” the party said in a statement.

After allegations against Robinson became public, the Harris campaign posted video clips of Trump praising the candidate.

More on this story later. In other news:

• Harris sat down with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday for a “virtual rally” that included a wide-ranging sit-down interview, during which Harris attacked Trump’s stance on reproductive rights and pledged to sign a border security bill thwarted by Senate Republicans.

• On Friday, the vice-president will be attending campaign events in the swing states of Georgia and Wisconsin.

• In the evening, Trump will be in another swing state – Arizona –at a town hall event. He will appear alongside Monica Crowley, a commentator and former assistant secretary for public affairs, and Chad Wolf, who was an acting secretary for public affairs in his administration.