As Lara Trump speaks at CPAC today, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Lara Trump is a self-described ‘ultra-MAGA’ extremist who has been endorsed by her father-in-law to transform the RNC into a shell for Donald Trump and his legal bills. With Donald Trump already pouring gasoline onto the dumpster fire that is the RNC, Lara Trump taking over as co-chair ensures that both the RNC and Trump campaign will continue to put up the same disastrous fundraising numbers they have filing after filing. GOP donors should save themselves the effort and just light their cash on fire themselves.”

Donald Trump endorsed his daughter-in-law Lara to be co-chair of the RNC so that she can make the committee pay for his legal expenses.

ABC News: “Trump endorses daughter-in-law Lara Trump for RNC co-chair”

Politico: “Several senior Republican officials are concerned that Donald Trump’s expected takeover of the RNC will ultimately pave the way for the committee to once again cover his legal bills.”

Associated Press: “Lara Trump says she thinks GOP voters would like to see RNC pay Donald Trump’s legal fees”

The Hill: “Lara Trump says she’d spend ‘every single penny’ of RNC funds to elect father-in-law”

Lara Trump is a self-described “ultra-MAGA” extremist whose record includes defending efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Allan Smith, NBC News: “Lara Trump, embracing ‘ultra-MAGA’ label, says its ‘nothing to be ashamed of’”

USA Today: “Lara Trump campaigned with far-right candidate and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer”

Washington Post: “Lara Trump: Merkel’s decision to welcome refugees was ‘one of the worst things that ever happened to Germany’”

Mercury News: “Lara Trump sparks fury, ‘Marie Antoinette’ comparisons for saying federal workers need to ‘sacrifice’ during shutdown”

Lara Trump ahead of January 6: “We want to make sure that if there is a contested vote, anybody who doesn’t want to certify the votes for Joe Biden, that they get their chance to debate that.”

Newsweek: “Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, and Fox News’ Sean Hannity attempted to blame the violence which occurred on January 6 on Nancy Pelosi—in what are the latest incidents of false claims regarding the House Speaker by Republicans in the wake of the attack. On Wednesday, Lara Trump, a TV producer who is married to Donald Trump’s son, Eric, defended her father-in-law during an appearance on Hannity’s show on Wednesday, while questioning why there wasn’t ‘adequate security’ on January 6 to protect the Capitol from the mob.”

The RNC is in disarray after some of its worst fundraising numbers in decades headed into an election year.

Fox News: “Democrats hold vast fundraising advantage as Republicans face cash problems, disarray in crucial swing states”

“According to year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) holds nearly three times the cash on hand reported by the Republican National Committee (RNC), and brought in nearly three times as much fundraising in the final month of 2023.”

The RNC reported its worst fundraising year since 2013 raising just $87.2 million in 2023, and starting 2024 with just over $8 million in cash on hand. If adjusted for inflation, the RNC’s fundraising was last this low in 1993 — before the 2002 McCain Feingold Act restricted political committee fundraising from corporations and capped donations from individuals.”

Washington Post: “The Republican National Committee continued to show signs of financial strain when compared with the war chest of the Democratic National Committee, reporting just $8.7 million in cash on hand to the DNC’s $24 million.”

Axios: “The Democratic National Committee also maintained its cash advantage over its Republican counterpart. The DNC raised $17.4 million in January and ended the month with $24 million in cash on hand. The Republican National Committee raised $11.6 million and closed the month with $8.7 million in cash on hand.”

Axios: “The RNC reported this week that it had its worst fundraising year in almost a decade last year — entering 2024 with just $8 million in cash. Trump’s comments are a sign of him flexing muscle as the de facto head of the GOP, even though the soonest he could clinch the nomination is March.”