NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Lara Trump was never planning on getting involved in politics, let alone potentially taking on the role of Republican National Committee co-chair ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
But after her father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, recommended her for the job, Trump says she lives by a certain family motto: “Never say never.”
“It’s something that I don’t think you can really plan for,” she told the Washington Examiner during a sit-down interview following her speech Thursday at the American Conservative Union’s 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference. “Politics was never something that I had a strong interest in until I got involved.”
Trump wore a fitted army green belted pantsuit, complete with tan Christian Louboutin stiletto heels, as she took photos and spoke with supporters in a lounge backstage. According to her, the roles she has taken and her expanded presence have often been a result of her father-in-law’s requests. She remarked that it was something of an “odd natural progression.”
“I think we need people who are going to deliver a message that hasn’t been delivered, necessarily, from someone from my demographic — from a young woman,” Trump, who exuded charisma and relatability when talking with supporters, said.
The 41-year-old mother of two young children represents a demographic that could decide the 2024 election. Women, particularly mothers and suburban women, have proven to be a pivotal voting bloc in past elections, especially in battleground states.
Earlier this month, the former president endorsed his daughter-in-law to take over the role of co-chair at the RNC, with North Carolina Republican Chairman Michael Whatley leading as chairman. Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita also received his support to take over at the party as chief operating officer. Trump’s recommendations for new RNC leadership came as confidence in the committee and chairwoman Ronna McDaniel continued to erode.
In response to reignited speculation, RNC spokesman Keith Schipper said, “Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina.”
It’s unclear if or when the RNC will adopt new leadership, with the South Carolina primary taking place Saturday night, days after Trump’s CPAC remarks.
Trump described her potential role in the RNC as “kind of new,” adding that it was only brought up in the past month. “If my best role and the way I can make the most difference is co-chairing the RNC from now until Nov. 5, that’s what I’ll do,” she said.
The future is less clear beyond the election, however. As to whether she would take a role in her father-in-law’s administration, she said, “We’ll see what happens.”
“What I have learned in the Trump family is you never say never to anything,” Trump added.
Trump’s elevation has come as some of the former president’s family members have stepped aside from politics, namely his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who both served in the White House. Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, remains politically active on his father’s behalf along with his fiancee, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle.
As Lara Trump prepares to possibly take on the co-chair position at the RNC, which has seen its fundraising scrutinized going into the presidential election year, Trump didn’t express concern. “I think it’s still kind of early, to be honest with you, for fundraising for the general election,” she said. She believes this will ramp up over the summer once a nominee is established at the Republican National Convention.
“I think as we approach the fall that will come in — the small-dollar donors,” she said when pressed on concerns over shrinking donors to the party. Trump specifically thinks the developments in the former president’s trials will spur more contributions from those giving smaller amounts.
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“After the decision on Friday, this egregious decision by the judge in New York and Leticia James’s bogus lawsuit, the Trump campaign raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million,” she recalled. “That day, we had a huge fundraising day. That was all small-dollar donors.”
Trump’s legal schedule is set to play out during the general election campaign, and if such fundraising trends continue, his daughter-in-law’s prediction could prove correct.
