CNN
—

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign on Friday launched a new television ad attempting to draw a connection between former President Donald Trump and North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, a day after a sensational report by US magazine KFile detailed a series of inflammatory comments made by Robinson over a decade ago.

This is the first commercial from Harris’ campaign to link Trump to a campaign for the lower constituencies, the Harris campaign team told CNN.

The ad, titled “Both Wrong,” which was obtained exclusively by CNN, mixes Trump’s previous praise for Robinson with anti-abortion comments from the gubernatorial candidate, including advocating for a nationwide ban on abortion with no exceptions.

It begins with comments from Trump calling Robinson an “incredible lieutenant governor” and describing him as “better than Martin Luther King.” In between, Robinson says, “For me, there is no compromise on the abortion issue” and “we could pass a law and say, ‘You cannot perform abortions in North Carolina for any reason.'”

The new ad is part of the $370 million digital and TV advertising the Harris campaign has reserved between Labor Day and Election Day, the Harris campaign told CNN. The ad will air on television in North Carolina starting Friday on various programs, including local news, “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune.”

This came as Harris travels to Georgia on Friday to deliver a speech focused on Trump’s role in overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling. Harris’ remarks are also expected to include the recent deaths of Georgia mothers Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who reportedly died in 2022 due to a lack of care related to the state’s abortion restrictions.

“The divide among voters in this election couldn’t be more stark: In Georgia, Vice President Harris will make a forceful and powerful plea for reproductive freedom, given the two preventable deaths of women in that state due to Trump’s abortion ban. In North Carolina, Donald Trump proudly supports Mark Robinson and his extremist views on what women can and cannot do with their bodies,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris-Walz campaign manager, said in a statement to CNN.

“Trump cannot run away from the truth: He stands shoulder to shoulder with Robinson and for the extreme abortion bans that are endangering the lives of women across the country – and if they have the chance, they will go even further and ban abortion across the country. From now until Election Day, we will make sure voters don’t forget that,” said O’Malley Dillon.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new ad. In a statement to CNN following KFile’s reporting on Thursday, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump’s campaign is focused on winning the White House and saving this country. North Carolina is an essential part of that plan. We are confident that President Trump will win the Tar Heel State again as voters compare Trump’s record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border and safe roads to the failures of Biden-Harris. We will not take our eye off the ball.”

The Trump campaign has declined to comment specifically on CNN’s coverage of Robinson’s controversial comments, but some people close to Trump have heard rumors this week that a potentially damaging story about Robinson is in the works, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday. Before the CNN report was published, the Trump campaign had not invited Robinson to Trump’s event on Saturday, and sources indicated that decision will likely stand. Robinson has attended most, if not all, of Trump’s recent events in North Carolina. Robinson spoke at Trump’s economic speech in Asheville, and Trump brought him on stage in Asheboro last month.

Many close to Trump have long had concerns about Robinson and his run for governor because of his history of inflammatory comments, including denigration of the civil rights movement and mocking the victims of a school shooting. Even privately, some on Trump’s team had hoped he would quit the presidency after controversial comments came to light. But that didn’t stop Trump from throwing his support behind Robinson at an event in North Carolina earlier this year, where he called Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

Despite efforts to distance the former president from Robinson, three senior Trump campaign advisers told CNN there were no attempts to pressure Robinson to withdraw from the race for governor.