The Reasons Lara Trump's RNC Takeover Is So Controversial
Donald Trump's grip on the GOP has tightened yet further, and not all party members are pleased about it. The latest power play is the election of Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and his buddy, Michael Whatley, as leaders of the RNC, and it's led to cries of nepotism.
Lara's been keeping herself busy since her Fox News exit in late 2023. She released a country cover version of Tom Petty's song "I Won't Back Down," which, according to Forbes, earned the No. 10 spot on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart in October 2023. After the subsequent drama, she followed the release with an acoustic version. Lara claimed on X, formerly Twitter, that music streaming platforms had shadow-banned the track — despite both the acoustic and original cover versions being available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Still, music is only a sideline for Lara. Her real passion is politics, and luckily for her, it's become the new Trump family business. Lara's political future looks bright following her election to co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Many claim the position is due to her marriage to Eric Trump, and no doubt being in bed with Donald's second son has some perks, such as easy promotion within the ranks. However, that's just one of the reasons Lara's RNC takeover is so controversial.
A Trump family affair
At one time, people pegged Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, as the future darling of the GOP. However, it's ever more apparent that Lara Trump is heir to the family throne. Thanks to her father-in-law, she was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee during its spring training session in Houston, Texas, along with another Donald endorsee, Michael Whatley. And the appointment set the cat among the political pigeons.
Lara and Whatley replaced Rona McDaniel, who was pressured into resigning after facing criticism for not being supportive enough of Donald. There is definitely no chance that will be the case with her replacements. In his post-election speech, Whatley promised to "be the vanguard of a movement that will work tirelessly every single day to elect our nominee, Donald J. Trump." Meanwhile, Lara vowed, "Every single penny [of GOP donations] will go to the number one and only job of the RNC, that is electing Donald J. Trump as President of the United States."
Not everybody is so enthusiastic, though. Some Republican stalwarts have cried foul and vowed to jump ship. "Lara Trump is now co-chair of the RNC. After a lifetime of donating to every GOP nominee and multiple down-ballot candidates every cycle... I'm out," Army veteran Peter Henlein posted on X. "I donated to help win elections, not to maintain the lifestyle of a billionaire. No point donating now."
Lara is rising through the ranks
Donald Trump's opponents within the GOP are, understandably, concerned about his ever-growing control over their party. "He's got a stronghold," Amy Tarkanian, a former chair of the Nevada Republican Party, told Politico in February 2024. "It's not just on the Republican base, but also in the House. I don't know how to explain it. It's completely mind-boggling to me, the type of brainwashing that has been done."
Not surprisingly, Lara Trump's RNC takeover has resulted in detractors accusing her father-in-law of keeping it in the family to further his own agenda. "Now we've got nepo-RNC," Nicole Wallace opined on "Deadline: White House" on March 8. The anchor pointed to Lara's claims that GOP supporters favor paying Donald's ever-burgeoning legal bills as "yet another example of an institution being shaped to fit the mold of what Trump wants it to be."
"Absolutely," Lara told reporters when asked if Republicans wanted to foot Donald's attorneys' fees. "That's why people are furious right now when they see the attacks against him. They feel like it's an attack not just on him, Donald Trump, but on this country." She said it was unconstitutional to try and bankrupt and destroy companies owned by political opponents. Not everybody in the GOP is on board the Trump train, though. The group Republicans Against Trump has 613,500 followers on X and is growing daily.