Donald Trump once praised Mark Robinson as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” But the former president is suddenly silent on the North Carolina Republican lieutenant governor who is now embroiled in a scandal that is threatening to derail his 2024 gubernatorial campaign.

WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson vowed Monday to rebuild his campaign staff after several top aides quit and a key Republican group backed away from his race following a CNN report alleging he made explicit racial and sexual posts years ago on a pornography website’s message board.