Image source, Getty Images
- author, Brandon Livesay
- role, BBC News, Milwaukee Republican Convention
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When Lara Trump strutted onto center stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, it was a moment symbolizing the generational shift that has taken place within the Trump family since his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Wearing a black dress and a sparkly American flag brooch, she used the prime-time spotlight to highlight her father-in-law’s gentler side to voters and to focus on his role as a grandfather to her two young children.
And her party faithful roared as she pumped her fist and spoke about Saturday’s shooting, mimicking Trump’s actions after a bullet narrowly grazed his head while onstage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Saturday, you may have seen a side of Donald Trump that you weren’t sure even existed until you saw it with your own eyes,” she told the crowd.
Trump, 41, currently serves as co-chair of the Republican Party and is his own handpicked for the role as his father-in-law gains firm control of the party machinery as he seeks another term in the White House.
She, her husband Eric and her brother Don Jr have emerged as the family’s leading voices in Donald Trump’s campaign against US President Joe Biden and are some of the most influential figures in his political circle.
In contrast, President Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, the high-profile power couple who dominated the White House after Trump’s 2016 victory, have stayed out of politics for the past four years.
Lara was the first member of her family to formally address the convention, and her presence raised interest not only in her role in the family but also in her future political ambitions.
“I thought she was fantastic,” said Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Hubba, who rose to prominence defending Trump in a civil sexual assault lawsuit in New York.
“I think she spoke from her heart. She told him things about her mother, about him being a grandfather, things that only she could tell him.”
Longtime observers expect Lara Trump’s importance within the family to only grow.
“Her speech was a major national introduction because, although she has played roles in campaigns and has been in Trump’s inner circle and family for the past eight years, this is her first time holding a position of real power within the Republican Party,” said reporter Eric Cortellessa, who recently interviewed Trump for a Time magazine feature.
“She’s trying to prove herself not just an effective surrogate for President Trump, but also a political operator. You’re going to see that play out over the next four months as she serves as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.”
Image source, Getty Images
Michelle Merrell, a Republican state committeeman from Broward County, Florida, said Trump’s appointments to the Republican National Committee marked a “big change.”
“Fundraising is soaring. We weren’t doing so well before. The change in leadership has really determined everything,” she said. “There’s a renewed energy in the party. It really is.”
Some have drawn parallels between Lara and Eric Trump’s roles in this presidential election and those of Jared and Ivanka in 2016. But Eric also holds a key role in the Trump Organization, likely serving as the eyes and ears for his father’s vast business empire if Trump wins the White House.
While Lara is expected to continue to rise through the ranks of the Republican Party, there is another Trump with ambitions of building a political dynasty, Eric Cortellessa said.
“Don Jr. says he’s not interested in politics, but everyone around him, including his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, believes he has a strong interest in politics,” he said.
“In fact, Lara Trump told me in a recent interview, ‘If any Trumps ever run for higher office, look to Don.'”
Eric and Don Jr. have always been close to their father, supporting him since the assassination attempt, and were reportedly two of the most vocal supporters of choosing J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate.
Donald Jr., a popular supporter of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement, appeared to be in tears on Monday night as Donald Trump entered the convention hall to a hero’s welcome.
Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the convention, he charismatically spoke about his father’s gentle side and, like his sister-in-law, promoted him as a grandfather and family man.
It’s a national messaging strategy aimed at blunting Democrats’ attacks on Trump as an authoritarian threat to democracy if he returns to office.
“We were having a conversation that was probably going to change the world, and he interrupted us to talk about his grandchildren for 15 minutes,” Don Jr. told the crowd.
But the emphasis on family unity and love does not hide the fact that some key members have been absent from the Republican National Convention so far.
President Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, rarely appears in public with her husband and has not appeared alongside him in public since the shooting at the rally.
Their son, Barron, 18, has yet to appear at a convention either. He hasn’t been seen in public for years, but he received a standing ovation at a recent Trump rally in Miami, suggesting he too could have a political career.
Linda Stoff, vice president of Club 47USA, which hosted Trump’s 78th birthday in June, dismissed the idea that Melania and Barron would not attend the convention.
“His family has been with him from the beginning,” she said.
Asked whether he thought certain members of the Trump family would usher in the next phase of MAGA politics, Stoch said he’ll just have to wait and watch.
She pauses for a moment and then adds, “Probably Baron.”
