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 Trump said the law was unnecessary and people should be allowed to
use whichever bathroom feels appropriate.
"Leave it the way it is," he said during a town hall on NBC's Today
show. "There have been very few complaints the way it is," added
Trump, who is front-runner to be the Republican presidential nominee
in November's election.
National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver also on
Thursday made his strongest statements yet suggesting that the
league's 2017 All-Star Game would be moved out of the state if the
law is not changed, the Washington Post reported.
At a meeting with Associated Press sports editors, Silver maintained
that there was no deadline for making a decision about the event to
be held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 Corporations, entertainers and activists are calling for a repeal of
the measure signed into law last month by the state's Republican
governor, Pat McCrory.
State tourism and business groups say tens of millions of dollars in
revenue have been lost as meetings have relocated, and entertainers
including Bruce Springsteen canceled concerts. PayPal Holdings
<PYPL.O> and Deutsche Bank <DBKGn.DE> halted or canceled plans to
add jobs in protest at the law.
"North Carolina did something (that) was very strong, and they’re
paying a big price," Trump said.
Trump's main rival for the Republican nomination, U.S. Senator Ted
Cruz, reiterated his support for North Carolina's law, which
invalidated an ordinance passed in Charlotte and is now the subject
of a federal lawsuit. [L2N1700NV]
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"We shouldn't be facilitating putting little girls alone in a
bathroom w/ grown men," Cruz, who is a social conservative and the
father of two young girls, said on Twitter. "That's just a bad, bad,
bad idea."
North Carolina's law has been criticized for denying protections to
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community beyond bathroom
access. McCrory has signaled a willingness to revise some aspects of
the measure, but he and other top Republicans in the state are
standing firm on the controversial bathroom provision.
McCrory is seeking re-election in November. His campaign has
defended the provision saying it affects only bathrooms in public
schools and government buildings, and private businesses are free to
adopt their own bathroom policies.
(Additional reporting by Letitia Stein, Emily Stephenson and Megan
Cassella; Editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)
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