Lara Trump's Style Transformation Can't Go Unnoticed

Lara Trump may have served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, helping to get her father-in-law, Donald Trump, re-elected in 2024, but the mother of two is not known for being as flashy as other members of the Trump family. In fact, she wasn't into politics until later in life. Back in 2020, she told USA Today, "I voted in elections – probably like a lot of people – but I didn't really pay that much attention to politics." She credits her father-in-law for getting her interested in politics back in 2016, noting, "Whether you like him or not, he really reinvigorated politics in America."

While Lara now lives a life in the spotlight, many would be surprised to learn that the president's daughter-in-law once had aspirations of being a pastry chef, before eventually moving into television as a producer on the news series "Inside Edition." Now that she is fully engulfed in politics as Eric Trump's wife and in front of the camera as the host of "My View with Lara Trump" on Fox News, she has quite a different take on fashion than she did during her humble beginnings. Let's take a look at the massive style transformation that Lara Trump has undergone over the years...

North Carolina-born beauty Lara Trump (born Lara Yunaska) moved to New York City to pursue her passion as a pastry chef after high school. Just a year after graduating from the French Culinary Institute in 2007, she first crossed paths with Donald Trump's third child, son Eric Trump. The pair met while out with friends, and Lara explained to Fox News back in 2016 that it was actually their height that really made an impact, sharing, "Being probably the two tallest people in the room was really helpful. I think we spotted each other across the room, so I was immediately intrigued." 

Pictured above in 2008, Lara exhibited her very bold sense of style. This red strapless dress is a great example of her early fashion moments. The aspiring cake decorator, who was running her own company, Lara Lea Confections, at this time, loved a bright and cheery shade and a tiny minidress, so it's no surprise that she decided to wear this look to a Thanksgiving celebration at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. She paired it with wide waves and a surprisingly strange hair shade — platinum blonde on top and a seemingly dark brown color underneath.

Lara Trump has been open about Eric Trump not making their relationship easy in the beginning. She told Fox News in 2016 that Eric played a little hard to get, explaining, "It took us about three months to go on a date." Once they were dating, a proposal didn't come much easier. She noted that her future husband "wanted to make very sure" that she was the one, revealing, "We got engaged five years and two days after our first date." 

During that time, Lara transitioned from cake decorating to working as a producer on the news series "Inside Edition." When not working behind the scenes, she was stepping out as her famous boyfriend's plus one, like at this Operation Smile event in 2011. Here she posed alongside her future brother-in-law Donald Trump Jr., and his then-wife, Vanessa Trump, showing off her penchant for bright colors and minidresses once again. Lara rocked a sleeveless cheery red number for the occasion, which she paired with a skinny black belt at the waist and sky-high nude-hued stilettos. This time, her hair was blonder, and she sported it in near-perfect curls.

Lara Trump continued to attend events with Eric Trump as his girlfriend throughout the 2010s, like the "Celebrity Apprentice" finale in May 2012. For this occasion celebrating, her future father-in-law's popular NBC reality show, Lara opted for yet another minidress. This time, however, she toned down the color, opting for a boring and subdued beige shade... perhaps after getting feedback about her attention-grabbing looks in the past? When it came time to accessorize, she stuck with her classics — a thin black belt and super tall heels, this time black peep-toe pumps. 

While Lara has previously referenced how long the couple dated before Eric popped the question, in 2024 Donald's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, claimed that the future president didn't want his son marrying the North Carolina native. On an episode of the "Political Beatdown" podcast, Cohen shared, "He had found somebody else that was working at the Trump Organization that he wanted Eric to marry." Yikes! Perhaps the toning down of her wardrobe colors may have been intentional after all. Fortunately for the couple, Eric went through with the proposal in 2013.

Later in 2012, Lara Trump continued to transform her wild fashion tendencies. In fact, her usual red carpet style seemed to do a complete 180 degrees when she attended an event at Henri Bendel that November. The blonde, who was now working at "Inside Edition," showed off a more professional and serious image in all black leather. Not only did she not show skin, but she also covered up any potential cleavage with a scarf around her neck. 

It's unclear if this pivot to a more sophisticated style had something to do with her future father-in-law's disapproval, but one thing is certain. Lara definitely won Donald Trump over in the long run. The couple would get engaged less than a year after this event, when Eric popped the question on the Fourth of July. They would then go on to wed at Donald's Mar-a-Lago property in November 2014. 

After she officially became a Trump in November 2014, Lara Trump continued to stick with a more mature and subdued style. This deep purple sleeveless dress is a perfect example, as, unlike the strapless and short minidresses of her past, she opted for a midi-length option with a high neck. The dark shade seemed appropriate for the occasion, her husband's annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational Auction and Dinner, and she added a pair of nude pumps to complete the look in 2015.

Less than a year prior to this event, Lara and Eric tied the knot. She had a very interesting set of accessories to add to her traditional Vera Wang gown on the big day — two casts due to breaking both of her wrists in a horseback riding accident two weeks before her wedding. Lara told People at the time, "I had to get creative with a way to make casts look bridal. Fortunately, my wedding planner, Jennifer Zabinski, and my designer, Preston Bailey, came up with some fabulously bedazzled gloves to try and blend these casts."

After Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Lara Trump received her first invitation to the White House and continued her streak of more elegant style. She attended the inaugural ball in January 2017 alongside her husband Eric Trump, where she wore this stunning yellow gown by Oscar Garcia-Lopez. The glamorous design featured an open back and beautiful beaded and feathered embellishments throughout, showcasing her slim physique. 

The Cuban designer talked to Telemundo about dressing the Trump family member, revealing that he is her stylist and personal friend. That fact seems surprising considering he also entered the United States illegally, comparing crossing the border to "the Indiana Jones movies," and sharing that the entire Trump family knows that fact. Lara told the outlet during Garcia-Lopez's interview, "He is one of the most wonderful people I've ever known, I am very fortunate to call him my friend." 

Ahead of the 2025 inauguration, Lara spoke to the New York Post and explained she wanted to "recreate the magic" of the 2017 inaugural ball by tapping Garcia-Lopez for the occasion once again, adding, "it was a really, really incredible time then and we're hoping for the same now."

We saw Lara Trump's old fashion sense later in 2017. That March, Lara and husband Eric Trump attended a ceremony celebrating radio personality Elvis Duran's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While stepping out in Hollywood for the occasion, Lara donned a bright purple number reminiscent of her early 2010s style — though this one was knee-length, unlike her usual minidresses. Strappy black pointy-toed pumps and oversized black sunglasses finished off the look.

This pivot back to her original pops of color and less modest looks definitely had interesting timing. Lara was no longer an outsider to the Trump family and had a standing invitation to the White House after helping with her father-in-law, Donald Trump's, presidential campaign in 2016. According to Time, on the campaign trail, Donald had even personally tapped Lara for assistance in Raleigh, North Carolina, asking, "Can you help me win your home state?" Lara not only left her job at "Inside Edition," but she also campaigned heavily in the state and even launched a "Women for Trump" bus tour. This loyalty and shift in responsibility may have signaled that she no longer needed approval from the family, and instead could feel comfortable with a return to her unique personal style.

Baby makes three! Lara Trump and Eric Trump announced they were expecting their first child, a son due in September, shortly after Donald Trump entered the White House. Lara is seen here, the month prior, in a busy maternity look, proving that the days of subdued and matronly looks were over. She instead chose to rock this sleeveless sundress with pops of hot pink, pale blue, and burgundy. The fitted frock showed off her growing baby bump as she departed the White House alongside her husband.

A month later, Lara gave birth to the couple's son. Eric took to X, then known as Twitter, to share the happy news, posting a photo of their new bundle of joy and tweeting alongside it, "@LaraLeaTrump and I are excited to announce the birth of our son, Eric 'Luke' Trump at 8:50 this morning." Less than two years later, Lara announced the couple was expecting a daughter. While pregnant, Lara began serving as one of Donald's senior advisors for his 2020 re-election campaign. The couple welcomed their second child, daughter Carolina, that August, marking Donald's tenth grandchild.

Maybe Lara Trump was made for the campaign trail! After all, she has a pretty well-established love of red dresses. While heavily campaigning for her father-in-law, Donald Trump, in 2020, Lara slipped into a cherry red confection during a pre-recording for the Republican National Convention. The party had to pivot from an in-person event to taped festivities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Lara donned this familiar look as she taped remarks from Washington, D.C. The design featured cap sleeves and a knee-length hemline, with a color that truly popped against the backdrop of American flags. It was a fitting selection for the party's event, considering red is its signature color, and she completed the Republican-ready ensemble with some shiny heels.

As a senior adviser for the campaign, Lara spent most of the year campaigning hard for her father-in-law, while also hosting the weekly news webcast, "Real News Update." Despite the mother of two's hard work, Donald Trump eventually lost the election that year.

Despite Donald Trump's big presidential loss in 2020, Lara Trump didn't give up hope that her father-in-law could once again be president. She remained active in politics and is seen here in 2023 at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March. The former pastry chef once again stayed true to her love of vibrant shades when it came time to pick her outfit, arriving in this bright purple frock with three-quarter-length sleeves and a ruffled detail at the waist. 

While she got prepared to return to the campaign trail for the 2024 election, Lara actually considered entering the world of politics herself. She thought about running for Senate in her home state of North Carolina following Richard Burr's retirement announcement, but ultimately decided against it. She made the announcement at a North Carolina GOP convention in 2022, per People, explaining she couldn't "give 100%" because she needed to take care of her two young children. Despite declining to run that year, she didn't count it out completely, adding, "I am saying no for now, not no forever, just so you know."

We saw a lot of Lara Trump in 2024 — she's seen here speaking at the 10X Ladies Conference in Miami, Florida. For the occasion, Lara took a break from rocking patriotic colors and opted for a feminine pale pink frock. The sleeveless design was fitted and ended with a scalloped midi-length hemline. She kept things uber girly with matching pink pumps, complete with a bedazzled strap. 

A few months earlier, Trump took on another new role — co-chair of the Republican National Convention. She was endorsed by Donald Trump for the gig. Time reported on his statement of approval that February, which read in part, "Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for. She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!" She was elected to the role unanimously the following month. USA Today reported that she pledged to work for all Republican candidates, not just her father-in-law, while claiming, "As my father-in-law says, 'bigly'... We're going to win!" 

Lara Trump perfectly united her tendency to rock skin-baring looks with a more polished, presidential vibe with this look during a campaign stop in Butler, Pennsylvania. The loyal campaigning daughter-in-law of Donald Trump turned up in this green tweed jacket and skirt combo, which she complemented with a black blouse and chunky black heels. This look encapsulated her style transformation, marrying her love of bright colors and miniskirts with a more mature twist. 

The campaign event in Pennsylvania was significant for the Trump family that October. It marked the first time Donald returned following an assassination attempt at that same location in July. Lara later spoke to CNN about the impact of his return to the scene of the potentially deadly crime, explaining, "I think it was important for Donald Trump to go back and create new memories for the people of Butler, Pennsylvania, and that's exactly what you saw yesterday."

By New Year's Eve in 2025, Lara Trump's style was uniquely her own — filled with homages to her past with a more glamorous twist. She arrived at a fancy shindig held at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in this shimmering champagne-hued confection, complete with a plunging neckline and sky-high center slit that showed off her legs. The beauty accessorized with massive sparkly hoops and a chunky choker necklace. 

While her campaigning days are likely behind her, Lara seems to be focused on a role firmly in the spotlight. She hosts her own Fox News show, "My View with Lara Trump," and recently made a surprising pivot to a potential career in music. In 2023, she released a cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," which reached number 10 on Billboard's Digital Songs Sales chart. The following year, she started releasing original music, starting with the song "Hero." No matter how her singing career pans out, it's very clear she's got the wardrobe for it!