Trump counters Harris speech with ‘prebuttal’ in North Carolina

( NewsNation ) — Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak Wednesday in North Carolina about the economy to counter a speech by Vice President Kamala Harris later in the day.

Trump’s campaign said the former president’s so-called “prebuttal” in Mint Hill would focus on his 2019 executive order that forced federal agencies to buy products made with more American components. He is also expected to revisit how he strengthened the Buy American Act.

Wednesday’s visit to the Tarheel State comes as new Gallup polling shows the 2024 election environmental is favorable for the Republican Party.

GOP gubernatorial fallout

However, the North Carolina governor’s race took a turn after a CNN report last Thursday that GOP gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made many inflammatory comments concerning race, gender and sexual preferences.

Robinson said Tuesday his campaign hired a law firm to help investigate the CNN report, saying the lawyers will look at how what Robinson calls “false smears” originated.

New national polling from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ now shows Robinson’s opponent Democrat Josh Stein leading by nearly 11 points.

The scandal has left Republicans seeking distance from Robinson, and most of his top campaign staffers also quit in the aftermath of the report.

Republican officials are anxious that Robinson’s situation could pull down Trump and help Harris in the battleground state, and threaten the outcomes of other key races on the ballot.

Robinson was endorsed by Trump before the primary and has spoken at the former president’s in-state rallies. But, he was not involved in a Trump rally in Wilmington last weekend and Trump didn’t mention him.

Speaking Monday in Charlotte, Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance said it was up to North Carolina voters to decide what they think of Robinson’s messages and whether they believe Robinson’s defense.

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