Spin Cycle: All Eyes On North Carolina

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

With just over six weeks to go until the November election, Democrats and their media surrogates have been looking for anything that might stick when it comes to finding a narrative that doesn’t favor former President Donald Trump.

Complicating matters considerably was the fact that just after the Sunday morning political shows wrapped last weekend, the former President was targeted by a second assassination attempt — just eight weeks and one day after he was shot during his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally — while golfing at his home course in Palm Beach, Florida. And while some time was certainly dedicated on several networks to the ongoing investigation into the reported failings of the United States Secret Service — both in PA and in FL — most of the shows also spent a fair amount of time on whatever they could find that did not favor Trump.

In that respect, the big news was the opposition research dump on Lt. Governor Mark Robinson (R-NC) — and almost every major network show either brought in a Democrat who could use Robinson to attack Trump or brought in a Republicans they could put on the spot, forcing them to choose a side.

Former Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) got tapped to address the issue during a panel discussion on ABC News’ “This Week,” and he argued that Robinson’s predicament had been wholly “predictable.”

“Mark Robinson’s tenure,” Christie said, “Has shown erratic, sometime highly offensive statements over and over again.”

Reports of NC GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson allegedly making inflammatory posts was “predictable,” @ChrisChristie tells @GStephanopoulos.

“Mark Robinson’s tenure…has shown erratic, sometimes highly offensive statements over and over again." https://t.co/rLdy7smjZw pic.twitter.com/ZknIaOmZVY

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 22, 2024

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Jake Tapper brought in Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) to respond.

“I’ve seen these allegations, Jake, and they’re concerning allegations … He owes the people of North Carolina more answers about it,” Cotton said, before pivoting to push Tapper back toward a conversation about the presidential race “that matters to everyone.”

“He owes the people of North Carolina more answers about it.”@SenTomCotton responds to CNN’s report uncovering disturbing comments made by Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor in North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/hI7zbC93Lr

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) September 22, 2024

Tapper then brought in Robinson’s Democratic opponent to continue the conversation, and Josh Stein immediately declared Robinson “unfit to be the governor of North Carolina.”

Tapper noted that Robinson has thus far denied responsibility for the comments made on a pornography message board, but Stein said that he did not believe Robinson was telling the truth.

“If you look at what he said on the post, it is in keeping with what he has said publicly on Facebook that are still on his Facebook page,” Stein argued. “Mark Robinson is absolutely unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and that was true before your story broke last Thursday. The story has only served to underline and put an exclamation point on that fact.”

“Mark Robinson is absolutely unfit to be the governor of North Carolina.”@JoshStein_ responds to a new CNN report on Mark Robinson’s vulgar and disturbing comments on a porn website in an interview with @jaketapper. pic.twitter.com/2kmfPhO2fN

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) September 22, 2024

On NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) weighed in on the topic, and he said that the news had put Democrats in a much better position in North Carolina.

“It’s great news for Democrats,” Fetterman said, calling Robinson “the new dream candidate to run against” and arguing that the controversy now threatening to engulf him had put Democrats in the “best possible situation to win” the key swing state.

WATCH: Sen. John Fetterman says Democrats are in the “best possible situation to win” North Carolina after a bombshell report about GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.@SenFettermanPA: “It’s great news for the Democrats. … He’s the new dream candidate to run against.” pic.twitter.com/vSjASjIVAD

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 22, 2024

But it was Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) who took things a few steps further on MSNBC,  where he joined former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her Sunday morning broadcast of “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

“He is white supremacy in blackface as he talks about his desire to bring slavery back,” Warnock said of Robinson. “This talk is way beyond the pale, calling himself a black Nazi, these are his words. And I think that the people of North Carolina need to take note of the fact that this is Donald Trump’s candidate, this is who he keeps pushing and encouraging. This is who he thinks should represent them.”

.@ReverendWarnock on Mark Robinson: “He is white supremacy in Blackface.”

Watch the full interview at 12pm ET on @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/kqszf9mRHI

— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) September 22, 2024

Trump has not addressed the allegations against Robinson, but the embattled Lieutenant Governor will reportedly not attend an upcoming rally for the former President in North Carolina.

Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance was also asked to weigh in on the topic, but chose instead to redirect.

The Kamala HQ account on X — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign rapid response team which just last week got hit with an eight-part fact-check from CNN’s Daniel Dale — shared a video of Vance ignoring a question shouted after him.

“Q: Senator Vance, do you have any reaction to the Mark Robinson news? Vance: *rushes into other room,*” the caption read.

“‘Rushes into other room’ I was *walking* to the doctor (because one of my kids gave me the plague) My comment on Mark Robinson is that Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote on the Inflation Explosion Act and because of that a lot of Americans can’t afford groceries,” Vance posted in response.

"Rushes into other room"

I was *walking* to the doctor (because one of my kids gave me the plague)

My comment on Mark Robinson is that Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote on the Inflation Explosion Act and because of that a lot of Americans can't afford groceries https://t.co/jYyHAhIGEa

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 20, 2024