Donald Trump endorses daughter-in-law, NC native Lara Trump, for RNC leadership
Former President Donald Trump is endorsing his daughter-in-law, North Carolina native Lara Trump, for a top position in the Republican National Committee.
“Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for,” Trump said in a statement on Monday. “She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!”
This announcement came alongside the news that Trump would endorse Michael Whatley, the current chair of the N.C. Republican Party, to become the new chair of the RNC.
Lara Trump, who previously considered running for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat in 2022, would work under Whatley, in the position known as co-chair, if the former president’s endorsements are heeded.
Who is Lara Trump?
Born in Wilmington, Lara Trump grew up in Wrightsville Beach and attended NC State University, where she studied communications.
She moved to New York in the late 2000s and met Eric Trump, one of Donald Trump’s sons and her now-husband.
After spending several years working as a producer for the TV show “Inside Edition,” Trump worked with Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016, later returning as a senior consultant for his 2020 bid for reelection.
When Trump won North Carolina the first time in 2016, he credited Lara for the victory, McClatchy reported.
After Trump’s loss in 2020, his daughter-in-law floated the possibility of running for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat, given that Sen. Richard Burr was retiring.
At the time, Trump hadn’t lived in North Carolina for 14 years.
In 2021, while still mulling a potential campaign, Trump landed a position as a contributor on Fox News. She said at the time that she still might run for the seat, saying that Fox would be flexible with her plans.
Trump eventually announced that she would not seek the position.
“I am saying no for now, not no forever,” she said at the time.
Her announcement cleared the way for Donald Trump to endorse Republican Ted Budd in the race, who later won.
In December of 2022, Fox News announced that Lara Trump would part ways with the network. Donald Trump had announced his 2024 campaign by that point and the outlet’s internal policy prohibited having paid contributors who are closely connected to campaigns, Deadline reported.
