Lara Trump's meteoric rise as family tries to build political dynasty

1 day ago

By Brandon Livesay, BBC News, at the Republican convention in Milwaukee

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As Lara Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, the moment symbolized a changing of the guard in the Trump family that has taken place since his loss in the 2020 presidential election.

Wearing a black dress and a glittering American flag brooch, Mrs. Trump — the wife of Donald Trump's son, Eric — used the prime-time spotlight to sell voters on her father-in-law's softer side, focusing on his role as a grandfather to his two young children.

And party faithful roared when she raised her fist and spoke about the attempted assassination of a gunman on Saturday, mirroring Trump's actions on the rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a bullet narrowly missed his head.

“Maybe you got to see a side of Donald Trump on Saturday that you weren’t sure existed until you saw it with your own eyes,” she told the crowd.

Mrs Trump, 41 and now co-chair of the Republican Party, was personally handpicked by her father-in-law for the role as he seeks another term in the White House and stands at the head of a party apparatus firmly in his grip.

Mrs Trump, her husband Eric and older brother Don Jr have become the family's leading voices in Donald Trump's campaign against US President Joe Biden, and are among the most influential figures in his political orbit.

By contrast, Ivanka Trump, Trump's eldest daughter, and her husband Jared Kushner — a power couple who enjoyed high visibility in the White House after Trump's 2016 victory — have kept their distance from politics over the past four years.

Lara was the first family member to officially speak at the convention, and her presence sparked interest not only in her role within the family, but also in possible future political ambitions.

“I thought she was fantastic,” said Alina Habba, Trump’s legal spokeswoman who rose to prominence defending him in his civil sexual assault case in New York.

“I think she spoke from her heart. She spoke about mothers. She spoke about her role as a grandfather – things that only she can talk about.

Longtime observers expect Lara Trump's importance within the family to only grow.

“Her speech was her big introduction to the nation, because even though she’s played a role in campaigns before and has been part of Trump’s inner circle and family for eight years, this is the first time she’s held a position of real power within the Republican Party,” said Eric Cortellessa, a journalist who recently interviewed Mrs. Trump for a Time magazine profile.

“She’s in a position where she wants to prove that she’s not only an effective Trump surrogate, but also a political operator. And we’re going to see that play out in the next four months as she co-chairs the RNC.”

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Michele Merrell, a Republican state committeewoman from Broward County, Florida, said Trump's appointment to the RNC made “all the difference.”

“Fundraising is booming, we weren’t doing very well before. The change in leadership has made all the difference,” she said. “It’s really given the party a boost.”

Some see parallels between Lara and Eric Trump's role in this presidential campaign and that of Jared and Ivanka in 2016. However, Eric plays a prominent role within the Trump Organization and would likely act as the eyes and ears of his father's sprawling business empire if Trump were to win the White House.

Lara is well positioned to continue his rise within the Republican Party, but there is another Trump who may also have ambitions to build a political dynasty, Cortellessa said.

“Don Jr. says he's not interested in politics, but everyone around him, including his sister-in-law and brother, thinks he has a real political bent,” he said.

“In fact, Lara Trump told me in a recent interview, 'If there's a Trump running for higher office, watch out for Don.'”

Eric and Don Jr. have been a constant presence at their father's side and have rallied behind him since the assassination attempt. They were also reportedly among the loudest voices when it came to choosing JD Vance as Trump's running mate.

Don Jr., a favorite of the Make America Great Again (Maga) base, appeared in tears Monday night as Donald Trump entered the convention hall and was given a hero's welcome.

Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the convention, he spoke charismatically about his father's softer side – and, like his sister-in-law, sold him as a grandfather and family man.

He even introduced his 17-year-old daughter, Kai Trump, on stage, who described Donald Trump as a “normal grandfather.”

“When I made the honor roll,” she said, “he printed it out to show his friends how proud he was of me.”

It is a public communications strategy that attempts to soften Democratic attacks on Trump, whom he sees as an authoritarian threat to democracy if he returns to power.

“We might be having conversations that could change the world and he interrupts and talks about his grandkids for 15 minutes,” Don Jr. told the room.

Video: Trump's granddaughter speaks publicly for the first time

But the emphasis on unity and family love does not hide the fact that some key members are still missing from the Republican National Convention.

Trump's wife, Melania, rarely appears in public with her husband and has not been seen publicly by his side since the rally shooting.

Their son Barron, 18, has yet to attend the convention. He has been kept out of the public eye for years, but he received a standing ovation at a recent Trump rally in Miami, suggesting he too may have a political future.

Linda Stoch, vice president of Club 47 USA, which hosted Trump for his 78th birthday in June, dismissed the idea that Melania and Barron would not attend the convention.

“His family has always been with him, since day one,” she said.

Asked if she sees any particular member of the Trump family ushering in the next phase of MAGA politics, Stoch said we'll have to wait and see.

She then stopped and added, “Maybe Barron.”

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