OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Lara Trump has announced that the Republican National Committee managed a record-setting fundraising haul a week after she took over as co-chair of the organization.
“I am proud to announce that last weekend the GOP had the largest digital fundraising weekend since 2020. Much more to come…we are just getting started!” former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law announced on the X platform.
Lara Trump did not provide any fundraising numbers, but it’s certainly good news for the RNC, which is strapped for cash after former Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spent funds lavishly and oversaw sparse Republican victories during her tenure.
In an interview with Newsmax TV, Lara Trump added: “I think the change in leadership at the RNC has really inspired a lot of people to give. People are very confident in the team. I personally wrote an email this morning to send out to people all across this country asking for donations.”
“People understand this is a must-win election, and I think they’re very confident in the team we now have between myself as co-chair and Michael Whatley as chairman,” she added, noting further that during the previous 36 hours, she had received “multiple phone calls” from people wanting to “max out” their donations.
WATCH:
Lara Trump: I think the change in leadership at the RNC has really inspired a lot of people to give. People are very confident in the team. I personally wrote an email this morning to send out to people all across this country asking for donations. pic.twitter.com/T78uWF85J0
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2024
Earlier in the week, more than 60 staffers were fired from the RNC after Whatley and Trump took over the reins of the organization.
After her father-in-law and President Biden both received enough delegates to capture their party’s respective nominations this summer, Lara Trump urged Republicans to embrace “legal ballot harvesting” to offset a Democrat advantage.
“We’ve been playing checkers, and the Democrats have been playing chess. Unfortunately, we don’t have one day of voting, we don’t have paper ballots, we don’t have voter ID everywhere. So we have to play the hand that we’re dealt,” she said.
She continued, “We need to be doing legal ballot harvesting, something that the RNC has never done, but I can promise you will be a huge part of what we’re planning to do.”
“And then come Election Day, and you’ll see that, I think, it’s not just about having poll watchers. It’s about having trained poll watchers and lawyers at locations around the country as necessary. And these are people who will be trained and able to physically count how many ballots are coming in. And how many ballots are going out,” she said.
Last month, Donald Trump gave his blessing to Whatley, the North Carolina Republican Party chairman who had been nominated to take over the Republican National Committee after reports that current chair McDaniel was stepping down amid rising criticism.
“Trump’s endorsement of Whatley formally cements his push to see a change atop the committee after weeks of reports that he had grown frustrated with McDaniel,” Politico reported at the time.
As part of his plan to reorganize the RNC, Trump will appoint Chris LaCivita as the RNC’s chief operating officer, according to a GOP operative speaking on condition of anonymity. LaCivita will continue to serve as co-campaign manager of the Trump campaign. The staffing adjustments will come into effect once a new chair assumes office, POLITICO reported.
“The RNC MUST be a good partner in the Presidential election. It must do the work we expect from the national Party and do it flawlessly,” Trump noted in a statement. “That means helping to ensure fair and transparent elections across the country, getting out the vote everywhere — even in parts of the country where it won’t be easy — and working with my campaign, as the Republican presumptive nominee for President, to win this election and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
