Republican presidential candidate treated for burns after ‘campaign incident’

Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina, was treated for burns at a hospital after an “incident” at a campaign event.

His representatives did not elaborate on what happened but said Robinson was recovering from a second burn and was in good spirits after “an incident at his campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show”.

It comes days after top advisers resigned from his campaign following allegations that more than a decade ago the candidate made racist comments on a sexting message board under the username ‘Black Nazi’.

Robinson, who is running to become the nation’s first black governor and has been endorsed by Donald Trump, denies the reports.

Robinson was attending a campaign event in Mount Airy, a city near the North Carolina-Virginia border, at the time of the latest incident.

He was taken to the hospital and treated for burns. Second degree burns are the most common type of burn. Although they are not as severe as third degree burns, they are hazards that cause painful red swelling and blisters on the skin.

Robinson’s representatives say he will resume campaigning in public on Saturday.

The candidate has been campaigning this week – defying pressure from Republicans and reportedly from the Trump campaign to drop out of the race.

A CNN report published on September 19 said he made comments on a porn message board more than a decade ago, where he called himself a “black Nazi” and in other posts said he preferred Hitler to then-President Barack Obama.

Robinson, who was elected to be the first black governor of North Carolina in 2020, called the report “tabloid lies”, and said that what he posted was not his words.

Days after the publication of the report, his campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, finance director and senior adviser all resigned.

Robinson has received direct public support from Donald Trump, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids”, but has not been seen with the Republican presidential nominee since the report came out.

Trump has held two rallies in North Carolina since then and on Thursday, when asked if he would withdraw his deal, he told reporters: “I don’t know the situation.”

Kamala Harris’ campaign also seized on the controversy surrounding Robinson’s campaign, releasing a video. Polls showed Harris and Trump effectively tied among likely swing voters.