Lara Trump Says Republican Leadership Will Be 'Family Affair' Under Her

Lara Trump would make the Republican National Committee (RNC) "a family affair" if elected co-chair of the GOP governing body, she has said.

In an audio clip of an interview posted by Democrat account DNC War Room, the former president's daughter-in-law said her brother-in-law Donald Trump Jr. would be involved in the committee.

"This is a family affair for all of us," she said. Newsweek could not verify where the audio footage originated.

Newsweek contacted the RNC by email to comment on this story.

Earlier this month, former president Donald Trump outlined his support for Lara Trump, who is married to his son Eric and was a senior adviser to the Trump campaign in 2020.

"Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for," Trump said in a statement. "She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!" The Republican also endorsed North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whaley as the RNC's new chairman.

His endorsements came after The New York Times last week published a report citing anonymous sources who said the incumbent chair Ronna McDaniel was to step down after the South Carolina primary later this month amid mounting criticism about her performance. McDaniel has not confirmed this.

"Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina," RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper told Newsweek earlier this month.

If Lara Trump is the future of the RNC, the way it manages its finances may change.

In a Newsmax interview on February 14, Lara Trump referenced reports about the RNC's alleged poor financial management, and said: "If I am elected to this position, I can assure you there will not be any more $70,000, or whatever exorbitant amount of money it was, spent on flowers. Every single penny will go to the number one and the only job of the RNC. That is electing Donald J. Trump as the president of the United States."

But in response, on Monday, former Chairman of the RNC Michael Steele challenged this view.

In an MSNBC interview, Steele, a Trump critic who chaired the RNC from 2009 to 2011 and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president in 2020, said electing Donald Trump was not "the number one responsibility of the RNC."

He said the role of the RNC was to raise money for all Republican candidates on the ballot and putting in place the infrastructure every candidate will need.

"You are required, Lara, so let me give you a little bit of training here since you want the job," he said. "You are required to organize and coordinate every state party and the territories of the United States who are in the Republican family, and you are to provide them the platform from which you will launch a platform to talk about what the party believes in."