Lara Trump has wasted no time in rebranding the typically staid Republican National Committee in her father-in-law’s image, showcasing her own version of his punitive politics and brash management style.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lara Trump spoke about her famous family, the upcoming election, and what’s next for her party.
Here are four takeaways about the new RNC co-chairs’ first few months in office.
Integration with Trump campaign
When Lara Trump and Chairman Michael Whatley took over in March, they promised to implement sweeping reforms, and that’s what they did: merge the Republican Party and the Trump campaign into one organization.
Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes told The Associated Press that this strategy is essential to securing a Republican victory in November.
“By working together, these two organizations will ensure that we are all moving in the same direction toward electing President Trump and expanding our House and Senate majorities,” he said.
Lara Trump said her party and campaign staff were “all involved in organizing on-the-ground activities and running the day-to-day operations.”
Critics argue that such an emphasis on presidential elections could reduce time, money and resources devoted to state and local elections. That could have a negative impact on the party in the long run.
Lara Trump dismissed the criticism, saying the reorganization would ensure the RNC can support candidates in state and local elections.
“It’s very foolish to think that just by holding the office of president you can achieve Republican goals,” she said. “Obviously, that requires a parliamentary majority, and that is our goal.”
be in the spotlight
Unlike some previous party co-chairs, Lara Trump has a very public role. She has given television interviews and spoken in right-wing media to promote her father-in-law’s re-election.
Whatley said Lara Trump is one of the Republican Party’s biggest assets, drawing attention at fundraising events because of her charisma and last name.
Her public appearances have not been without controversy. She made several public gaffes, including an appearance on the conservative cable channel Newsmax in which she said the RNC had filed lawsuits in “81 states.”
Lara Trump admits she faces a “huge learning curve” and says she has the background needed to succeed, having worked on Trump’s past two presidential campaigns he told the Associated Press.
“Right now, you’d be hard pressed to find someone with as much political experience as I do in any campaign, so that’s a unique thing to say,” she said.
Funding turnaround
Lara Trump already appears to be helping turn around the committee’s anemic fundraising efforts. Republicans argue that she is a popular fundraiser speaker, helping to excite her donors.
The Republican National Committee raised $76 million in April and $65.6 million in March. This was up from just $10.6 million in February. The increase reflects changes to donation limits after Trump became the party’s presumptive nominee in March. By comparison, the Democratic National Committee brought in $51 million in April, down significantly from $72 million in March.
The RNC’s ability to funnel money to the campaign could be critical to Trump’s chances, in part because Trump has chosen to use campaign funds to pay for legal fees. The former president faces dozens of federal and state criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election and storing classified documents. He is currently on trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to cover up allegations of an affair. His political action committee, Save America, his presidential campaign and other fundraising groups have spent at least $76.7 million in legal fees over the past two years.
mail-in voting
Lara Trump wants to encourage Republicans to embrace an election tactic that Trump and many of his supporters view with suspicion: voting by mail. The former president and his allies have long criticized the voting method as rife with fraud, an unsubstantiated claim. A significant number of voters are using this method, and Lara Trump sees value in making it as easy as possible for Trump supporters to vote.
She said she supports a national policy of not counting votes after Election Day, but said it was not her “expertise” and did not go into detail.
That strategy is not viable. Each state has its own election laws, and most rely on postmarks to determine whether a vote was cast in time. Ballots cast on or before Election Day can take days or even weeks to arrive in the mail.
