By Juliann Ventura - 09/27/24

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff slammed former President Trump on Thursday evening for not disavowing North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson , calling his previous praise for the gubernatorial nominee “shameful.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki scheduled to air Sunday, Emhoff was asked about past comments reportedly made by Robinson, including calling himself a “Black Nazi.”

“The fact that Donald Trump was right here in Wilmington, right where I am sitting, where he could not disavow Mark Robinson. He was trying to ignore it, but he did not disavow what Robinson said,” Emhoff told Psaki, who previously served as White House press secretary.

“It is shameful,” he added.

CNN released a bombshell report earlier this month linking Robinson to an account that made many offensive statements on a porn site’s message board. The lieutenant governor has denied the report and vowed to continue in the race against state Attorney General Josh Stein .

The former president, during a speech Thursday, dodged on whether he would pull his endorsement from the gubernatorial nominee, telling reporters, “I don’t know the situation.”

When asked about what he makes of Robinson’s previous comments and the state of the GOP, Emhoff said “a strong Republican party” is needed.

“It is pure cowardice. It is shameful. We need a strong Republican Party,” Emhoff responded. “We need people like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger who come out and endorse Kamala Harris. You may not agree on every single idea and policy, but you agree on who we are as Americans.”

The second gentleman also ripped Trump for previously comparing Robinson to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“He said that he is Martin Luther King Jr. on steroids. He has not disavowed any of that, so Donald Trump is supporting Mark Robinson,” Emhoff said in the interview.

He also condemned the former president last week for his remarks at an event raising awareness for combating antisemitism in which the GOP nominee suggested Jewish people will partly shoulder the blame if he loses in November.

“It is an outrage, and it is not just Jewish people who should be outraged,” Emhoff said.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.