ASHEVILLE - North Carolina's right-wing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be joining former President Donald Trump at his downtown Asheville campaign event Aug. 14, a spokesperson confirmed.
Robinson, the Republican candidate for North Carolina governor , will be attending and speaking at the rally in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah's Cherokee Center, according to campaign spokesperson Michael Lonergan. He did not respond to questions on what topics he'll be covering, when he'll be speaking and if he'll be introducing Trump at the event.
At the polls in November, Robinson, who has been endorsed by Trump , will face off against Democrat Josh Stein, who’s endorsed by Gov. Roy Cooper , in the state’s race for the executive mansion.
A right-wing candidate known for extreme remarks, Robinson recently received heat for telling members of an eastern North Carolina church that “some folks need killin’ in July and after a nonprofit called Balanced Nutrition Inc., run by his wife Yolanda Hill, was found to owe more than $130,000 to N.C. Department of Health of Human Services.
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The announcement of the presidential candidate's Asheville visit said Trump will "deliver remarks on the economic hardships created by the Harris-Biden Administration" during the speech.
"Hard-working Americans are suffering because of the Harris-Biden Administration’s dangerously liberal policies," the announcement said. "Prices are excruciatingly high, and the cost of living has soared — leaving those on a fixed income unsure of how they are going to afford a basic standard of living in the future."
Western North Carolina's Congressional Rep. Chuck Edwards, of Hendersonville, will also be speaking at the rally, according to his spokesperson Maria Kim. It is not yet known if he will be introducing Trump.
As Buncombe County voters have picked Democrats in presidential elections since 2008, a question on many people's minds may be: why did Republican presidential hopeful Trump — and now Republican gubernatorial candidate Robinson — choose to rally in Asheville ?
"I think a lot of people are scratching their heads, they’re saying, well, Asheville is liberal. Trump is not. Why Asheville? And part of it may just be simple logistics," said Chris Cooper, a professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University.
"If you want to hit Western North Carolina, you need a venue that holds thousands of people, and after the assassination attempt, you prefer to be indoors, then you pretty much have one option and one option only, and its Harrah’s Cherokee in the center of the city of Asheville."
More: Donald Trump is rallying in Western North Carolina. But why Asheville?
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m. Doors will open at 1 p.m., and Trump will deliver his remarks at 4 p.m.
Multiple roads will be temporarily closed around the event and will likely reopen around 10 p.m. Aug. 14.
City-owned parking garages will remain open during the Aug. 14 event. The parking garage for Harrah's Cherokee Center will be open with entry and exit access only from Rankin Ave. Pack Memorial Library will be closed Aug. 14.
Event parking rates will be applied starting Aug. 14 at 8 a.m. at the following garages:
- Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville garage.
- Rankin garage.
- Wall Street garage.
Some on-street parking locations are closed as of the evening of Aug. 12, with remaining vehicles in these spaces after 9 a.m. this morning towed at the owner’s expense:
- Haywood Street between Battery Park and Page Avenue.
- Page Avenue between Haywood Street and Battle Square.
- Hiawassee Street.
- Vanderbilt Place.
- W. Walnut Street.
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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to speak at Trump rally in downtown Asheville, campaign says
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