Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has peppered his campaign trail for the North Carolina Governorship with violent rhetoric, has called for calm and unity in the wake of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
In a short video posted to X on Saturday, Robinson said political passions are blazing ahead of the November election but that violence has no place in American political discourse.
“We see what’s happening right now in America, passions are inflamed on both sides of the aisle,” Robinson said.
“But let’s all remember who we are. We are Americans and let’s unify in the fact that violence has no place in political discourse. We must remain calm. We must remain steadfast and we must remain unified on at least that point. For the safety of our country and our citizens and for our republic as a whole, we need calm. We need peace and we need to realize, again, that violence has no place in political discourse.”
My response on the assassination attempt of President Trump. My family and I are praying for President Trump and his family. pic.twitter.com/096KPX8hcC
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) July 13, 2024
Robinson offered prayers for the country, North Carolina and Trump before saying the electorate should rally around “what’s right.”
“What’s right is being peaceful throughout our Democratic process and let it play out as it will,” he said.
During his campaign for Governor, Robinson has been combative and brash in the mold of Trump. He was recently filmed during a speech at a church saying “some folks need killing,” though the folks in question remain ambiguous. His campaign explained the comment as referring to U.S. enemies during World War II, but has not said why that struggle is relevant to the current political climate.
Robinson is up against Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein in November, when the two will face off to replace Gov. Roy Cooper, who offered his own succinct condemnation of political violence on X.
“Violence has no place in our politics or communities,” Cooper said. “I am grateful for the quick response by law enforcement today and hope former President Trump is not seriously injured.”
Stein also took to social media to express outrage at the attempt on Trump’s life during a Pennsylvania campaign rally, which is under investigation by the Secret Service and FBI as an assassination attempt.
“I am outraged by what happened tonight at President Trump’s rally. Political violence is abhorrent and has no place in America,” Stein said. “I pray for his health and am grateful he was able to walk off the stage tonight. I appreciate the secret service and law enforcement for their immediate response. I am also praying for our deeply divided country. People should be able to have differing opinions without fear of violence or threats.”
