
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump officially kicked off her campaign to be Republican National Committee co-chair on Tuesday, the latest step in the former president’s takeover of the RNC.
Lara Trump wrote a letter to the 168 members of the RNC saying that she was “proud to have the endorsement of my father-in-law and 45th president, Donald J. Trump, for this position and understand the fundamental importance of this role.”
Lara Trump, GOP front-runner Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, officially kicked off her bid to be co-chair of the Republican National Committee one day after chair Ronna McDaniel and her co-chair announced their resignations. MORE:https://t.co/Fn7jAwcx9N pic.twitter.com/sb8avGMQIZ
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) February 28, 2024
“In the coming days, I look forward to connecting with you, the members of the RNC, and hopefully earning your vote,” she added.
The move comes as Trump embarks on a sweeping effort to fuse his campaign with the RNC ahead of the general election. The former president is backing an ally, North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley, to succeed outgoing RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel and is installing his senior adviser, Chris LaCivita, as the committee’s chief operating officer.
Whatley, who appeared onstage with Trump at his South Carolina primary victory party this past weekend, launched his campaign on Monday.
“Whatley will do an incredible job! It will be my honor to work alongside him for the future of this country,” Lara Trump wrote on X.
Donald Trump, the GOP’s clear front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination, had suggested earlier this month that it was time for a leadership change at the RNC after three election cycles of Republican underperformance.
“Having someone like me in there, I think, will go a long way for people. I can assure you that my loyalty is to my father-in-law, and I will ensure that every penny is used properly. It should be going to fight for November 5 for the causes we care about,” Lara Trump told reporters Wednesday.
In addition to the millions Donald Trump is currently spending on lawyer fees, his debts are now estimated to be more than $500 million.
A judge last week ordered the former president and his businesses to pay $355 million in penalties in a civil fraud case, with the interest on the fines potentially bringing the total punishment to over $450 million. The bruising ruling came less than a month after a jury ordered Trump to pay $83 million to E. Jean Carroll.