Lara Trump addresses RNC fundraising troubles, Charlie Kirk criticism
Lara Trump is working double-time cementing her front-runner status to be the next co-chair of the RNC, including laying out her priorities to turbocharge the organization struggling to keep up with the DNC's massive fundraising advantage.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Lara Trump is working double-time cementing her front-runner status to be the next co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), including laying out her priorities to turbocharge the organization struggling to keep up with its Democrat counterpart's massive fundraising numbers.
Trump described those priorities during a campaign stop in North Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday while firing up voters for her father-in-law — former President Donald Trump — ahead of Saturday's Republican primary election.
"We have to legally ballot harvest everywhere we possibly can," she told the riled up crowd of roughly 150 supporters gathered in the Trump campaign headquarters, stressing the need to follow the law, unlike Democrats, who she accused of trying to steal elections through various means.
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Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to former President Donald Trump and candidate for RNC co-chair, fires up a crowd of supporters in North Charleston, South Carolina on February 21, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)
Trump added that in addition to ballot harvesting, "on day one" as RNC co-chair she would launch initiatives to register more Republican voters, as well as recruit and train poll watchers to help crack down on any potential illegal activity.
"I'm here to do whatever I can to make sure we get this country back on track," she said.
In an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her speech, Trump also addressed the fundraising challenges facing the RNC as it began the election year dwarfed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — combined with the rest of President Biden's joint fundraising entities — in terms of cash-on-hand.
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"That's exactly why we have no time to waste. I was honored by the endorsement of my father-in-law for co-chair of the RNC. They do still have to vote, ultimately. We'll see what happens with that. But I think that is goal number one on day number one is we need to start fundraising on the Republican side of the aisle because the Democrats have a war chest," she said.
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to former President Trump and RNC co-chair candidate. ( (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
"We all know that Joe Biden, despite him being a horrific candidate and having just really awful polling that you see right now across the board for him, he does have a lot behind him," she added. "He's got a lot of money behind him. He's got the mainstream media behind him. He's got the Democrat political machine behind him. And so we have a lot of ground to cover between now and November 5th."
Trump repeated an argument she made last week that "every single penny" the RNC receives should go toward ensuring former President Trump is elected in November, as well as expanding the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and flipping the Senate from Democrat control.
She also addressed the controversy surrounding conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit that advocates conservative policies on college campuses, and reporting that he played a part in current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel's plan to step down from the role she's held for over seven years.
A NBC report published over the weekend detailed Kirk's role in McDaniel's pending ouster, as well as the criticism he's received from Republicans since concerning past controversial comments on his podcast, as well as for steering money away from the RNC.
The Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel is seen here speaking before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News on Nov. 8, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
However, none of that deterred Trump from praising Kirk, who she hopes will play a larger role in Republican politics in the future.
"I think he's actually been amazing in the way that he's engaged young voters. We need to be doing that as a party," she said. "The reality is the Democrats really have a leg up on us. They have Hollywood. They have the music industry. They have all the social media out there possible in their field and in their corner. And it is a struggle for us to engage with a younger audience."
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"I think something that Charlie Kirk has been masterful at doing is just that — reaching out to the youth of this country, reaching out to kids on college campuses. I think he already has played a huge role in the future of this party, and I hope he plays a role from now until we get back on top and we win the White House and there and beyond," she added.
No date has been set for when McDaniel will step down from her role as chairwoman, but RNC committee members are reportedly expected to elect her successor early next month.
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