In a rare public appearance Wednesday, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson declined to speak with reporters and decried attempts to ask him questions about past comments as "pure shameful," as his security detail shuffled him into an elevator leaving the building.
It came weeks after Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, made comments that critics said condoned political violence — telling a church audience during a campaign stop that “some people need killing.” Those words have drawn criticism from political opponents.
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“Mark Robinson makes North Carolina less safe,” Anderson Clayton, the North Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman, said Wednesday during a virtual news conference. “... It's jarring and irresponsible for the sitting lieutenant governor and the Republican nominee for governor to say something so reckless and so clearly intended to incite violence."
Robinson is the state’s second-highest ranking executive officeholder. He's known for a bevy of past statements on women, Jews, gay people and others that have drawn criticism. Rhetoric involving violence has become a focus of critics lately.
During the speech at a Bladen County church, Robinson said: “Some liberal somewhere is gonna say that’s awful. Too bad. Get mad at me if you want to. Some folks need killing. It’s time for somebody to say it. It’s not a matter of vengeance, not a matter of being mean or spiteful. It’s out of necessity.”
Robinson campaign spokesman Mike Lonergan said Robinson’s comments at the church were intended to be about the enemies of the U.S. and its allies during World War II. The speech does describe the nation’s war effort to rally to fight against Nazi Germany and Japan.
The speech also touched on present-day politics. Clayton told reporters Wednesday that Robinson was talking about the present day. "Despite what his campaign wants you to believe, his comments about people needing killing aren't being taken out of context," she said. "They're exactly who he is."
Lonergan said Democrats and the media are taking Robinson's comment out of context. “It’s just so disingenuous to imply that he meant anything other than what he said clearly and directly in that portion of the speech,” he said.
Robinson has also previously said he’d fill government agents' “britches with some lead” if they tried to take his firearms. He has also suggested that people be ready to fight the FBI, if law enforcement comes knocking. Democrats also pointed out those statements during their news conference.
When Robinson’s comments draw criticism, members of the media seek to allow him an opportunity to respond to that criticism. Reporters did just that on Wednesday, seeking clarification on his comments at the church. They also sought to ask questions about a variety of other topics before they were snubbed.
Robinson doesn’t make himself available to the media as often as other statewide officeholders or high-office candidates. Reporters frequently reach out to his office or campaign for comment. His spokespeople often respond. But due to his limited public appearances, opportunities for Robinson himself to respond to critiques have been few and far between.
Robinson has made numerous headlines since the last time he held a press conference, in March.
- His campaign planned a fundraiser with leaders of a church investigated for child abuse and slavery. His campaign declined to comment.
- His wife shut down her government-funded charity amid an inquiry by state officials into its finances. His wife said the investigation is politically motivated.
- The state legislature changed campaign finance laws, in what GOP lawmakers said was an attempt to help level the field in the race for governor as Democratic nominee Josh Stein has reported raising millions of dollars more than Robinson. His campaign declined to comment.
When Robinson was at the legislature Wednesday — for a ceremony honoring a Craven County law enforcement officer for bravery — reporters attempted to ask him questions after the event ended and the attendees had finished taking photos with Robinson and other dignitaries in attendance.
“You want to come out here and besmirch that lady's award by coming out here and asking me that silly question?” Robinson said as he left without answering questions. “That's what you got out of this? There's your answer. Shameful, that's what it is. Pure shameful. And you should be ashamed.”
House speaker Tim Moore, a Cleveland County Republican who’s running for a seat in Congress this year, also attended Wednesday’s ceremony and spoke with reporters about various political topics afterward. He wouldn't comment on Robinson’s specific comments, except to say he stands by Robinson as the Republican candidate for governor.
WRAL later asked for an interview with Robinson. A spokesman for the lieutenant governor’s office didn’t respond. Lonergan, the campaign spokesman, declined the interview request. “You will not be getting an interview today,” Lonergan said in an email. “And probably not anytime soon either.”
Robinson — whose political persona is modeled after former Republican President Donald Trump — often lashes out against the media during public speeches, particularly when he’s facing controversy.
In a 2022 speech at a Lee County Republican Party meeting, according to video of the speech published by anti-Trump site Meidas Touch, Robinson said “the lies that come out” on television should prove that television is satanic.
“I need for you to go look in your Bible and find out how Satan came to Earth,” Robinson said. “Satan comes to Earth as an angel of light. Television is literally light particles broken down through the airwaves come down and reformulated. Where? Inside your TV."
Robinson's lack of press conferences could be a familiar pattern through election season, as he seeks to become North Carolina’s first Black governor.
His official calendar as lieutenant governor shows no events scheduled for the rest of the year, and he rarely attends sessions of the state legislature, where he serves as Senate president and is technically in charge of presiding over that chamber. He also didn't attend last month's Council of State meeting, a gathering of all executive branch officials to conduct state business.
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie contributed to this report.