Last Thursday, CNN published a new report focused on a litany of fascist, lewd and reactionary comments made by the current lieutenant governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, on a pornographic message board. Robinson was first elected in 2020 and is currently trailing in his gubernatorial contest against Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.
In the report, CNN alleges that between 2008 and 2012 Robinson posted frequently on the message board “Nude Africa” under the social media handle “minisoldr,” which Robinson apparently used across several different online accounts.
Among the fascist posts uncovered by CNN, in October 2010, Robinson/minisoldr wrote: “I’m a black NAZI!” CNN reported that this statement was posted on the board “unprovoked.” That same month, Robinson/minisoldr declared his support for slavery, writing, “Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it (slavery) back. I would certainly buy a few.”
Two years later, in March 2012, CNN reported that Robinson/minisoldr declared he would rather live under Adolf Hitler, compared to then current president, Barack Obama. “I’d take Hitler over any of the sh*t that’s in Washington right now!”
Following CNN’s report, the Washington Post uncovered several other posts from the account linked to Robinson under the message board before they were deleted. In one of the posts, minisoldr expressed his affinity for Hitler’s Mein Kampf, writing:
Mein Kampf is a good read. It’s very informative and not at all what I thought it would be. It’s a real eye opener.
Robinson’s love of Hitler and fascism is not new and is well known among the media and Republican Party. In fact, Robinson’s fascist politics are exactly why he was promoted and elevated within the party.
Prior to being elected in 2020, Robinson had not previously run for office. In 2018, he went “viral” after delivering a pro-gun rant at a city council meeting that was quickly picked up by right-wing media, including Fox News and Breitbart. With the spotlight on him, Robinson frequently shared antisemitic and fascist content on his Facebook account.
In a February 19, 2018 Facebook post, Robinson raged against the “Black Panther comic book movie,” and its “fictional ‘hero’ created by an agnostic Jew and put to film by satanic marxist.” Appealing to antisemites and conspiracy theorists, Robinson added, “How can this trash, that was only created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets, invoke any pride?”
A month later, in a March 19, 2018 Facebook post, which as of this writing is still active, Robinson suggested the Holocaust was “hogwash,” writing:
This foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash. Repeating that hogwash makes the conservative argument against the current attempts by liberal Marxist to push Unconstitutional gun control measures in this Nation look FOOLISH.
Following the deadly “Unite the Right” rally, in a September 19, 2017 Facebook post, Robinson declared that: “CULTURAL MARXISM, SOCIALISM, and their father COMMUNISM are the enemies of this nation,” and to “STOP wasting my time, your time, and the time of your fellow conservatives talking about, and making mention of, the NAZIS who have been DEAD since 1945.”
This, and a litany of other reactionary comments, along with unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump, made him a frequent favorite at right-wing gatherings such as the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference, Turning Point USA, Trump rallies and even the Republican National Convention this year, where Robinson was given the honor of declaring North Carolina’s delegates for Trump.
Following CNN’s report, the Kamala Harris campaign published a new video advertisement in North Carolina focused on Trump’s endorsement of Robinson and their shared anti-abortion agenda. The 30-second advertisement does not once mention Robinson’s fascist politics.
This is not a mistake. The Democrats have deliberately downplayed the fascistic character of the Trump campaign, and have hardly mentioned the campaign of violence targeting immigrants from Haiti. Their central priority is the escalation of the war against Russia in Ukraine and the broader imperialist war of which it is a part.
On Sunday, 700 current and former retired military generals, spymasters and Defense Department leaders issued a letter endorsing Harris, citing her pledge to ensure that the US military is the most “lethal” in the world.
While Robinson did not appear at Trump’s most recent campaign event held in Wilmington, North Carolina this past Saturday, Trump has not rescinded the endorsement he gave Robinson earlier this year. At the rally itself, Trump did not comment on Robinson or the recent reporting on him.
Instead, Trump delivered another fascist tirade focused on demonizing immigrants. In the just over hour-long speech Trump warned that a “vote for Kamala Harris means 40 or 50 million more illegal aliens will invade across our borders stealing your money, stealing your jobs, stealing your life.”
While he did not mention Springfield, Ohio by name, Trump grunted that because “migrant crime is totally out of control,” he would be “announcing a new plan to end all sanctuary cities in North Carolina and all across our country. No more sanctuary cities.”
As part of this plan, Trump promised that:
As soon as I take office we will immediately surge federal law enforcement to every city that is failing, which is a lot of them, to turn over criminal aliens and we will hunt down and capture every single gang member, drug dealer, rapist, murderer and migrant criminal that is being illegally harbored.
He added that his administration would “bring down the full weight” of the federal government against cities that did not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).