Trump hosts event with North Carolina gubernatorial candidate who once paid for an abortion before later vowing to ban it with no exceptions

• Trump invited a politician with controversial stances on abortion to Mar-a-Lago.
• North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson came to a fundraising event Tuesday.

Former President Donald Trump invited North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson to Mar-a-Lago for a "special event" on Tuesday.

Robinson, the frontrunner in North Carolina's gubernatorial race, is known for his strict stances on abortion despite personally admitting to paying for one decades ago.

Trump's willingness to appear alongside Robinson is notable as abortion issues increasingly divide — and mobilize — voters.

The former president has in the past said that it's an issue that should be decided at the state level and that he does not believe it's an issue that can help Republicans in elections. He has, however, taken credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade via his appointment of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court. During his presidency, Trump said he favored abortion bans with exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother.

In February, the lieutenant governor said in an interview that if given the opportunity as governor, he'd quickly sign a total ban on abortions with no exceptions for women in victims of incest or rape.

As Rolling Stone reported in July, Robinson appears to have changed the way he speaks about abortion in public since the North Carolina state legislature muscled through a restrictive ban on abortions after 12 weeks in May much to the chagrin of state voters. A GOP-led General Assembly overrode a veto of the ban from the state's governor, Democrat Roy Cooper.

"Lt. Gov Robinson has publicly supported legislation that would limit abortion after a heartbeat is detected, with protections for extreme situations such as rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger," his spokesperson Mike Lonergan said in a statement to Business Insider Tuesday.

Robinson has publicly admitted to paying for his now-wife's abortion in 1989 — however, he has said this experience formed his beliefs on abortion now.

"Lt. Gov. Robinson and his wife have struggled with this difficult and painful experience before and this is part of what makes him pro-life," Lonergan said.

Robinson has also wracked up his share of controversial comments. In 2021, on the topic of book content, he told a church congregation there is "no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth." He repeatedly ridiculed the Parkland Shooting victims, including calling them "media prosti-tots."

According to a social media post by a National Review reporter, tickets for Tuesday night's event are priced at $1,000 per guest, $6,400 per sponsor, and $12,800 per host committee.

Hobnobbing with such a supporter of abortion bans does pose a slight risk for Trump electorally in 2024, as polls, surveys, and state referendums have shown that voters across the country — even in some of America's reddest states — appear to favor some form of legal access to abortion services.