America, Laura Trump, the “new Ivanka” who controls the money of the Republican Party – Corriere.it

From our correspondent
CHARLESTON (South Carolina) — Laura Trump is the new Ivanka. Abandoned by his favorite daughter, he no longer wants to participate in the election campaign, Donald Trump knows he can count on Laura and wants her to co-chair the Republican National Committee., the political management body that coordinates Republican fundraising, is expected to change soon at its insistence. Some Republicans, according to the site PoliticsThey fear Trump wants to use it for his investigative costs (the committee has already paid $2 million to law firms for Trump's court cases).

On Wednesday evening in Charleston, Laura spoke to a group of newspapers CourierAnd does little to dispel these fears: «Half a billion dollars must be raised by November 5th. When donating to the Republican National Committee, people should know that the money is going to the causes they care about. The group, which raised $890 million last year, is going slow on fundraising this year. Asked by reporters if she would use the funds to pay the trial costs of her father-in-law, who owes $355 million for fraud in New York (her husband Eric was fined $4 million), Laura initially avoided answering: “I don't know the law and the guidelines yet.” But when asked if he believed it was in the best interests of Republican voters to pay for Donald Trump's legal bills, he replied: “Certainly, people are outraged that they think these are attacks trying to neutralize a political rival, and they're not just attacks against Donald Trump. But against America.” when Ivanka said she believes there is “no basis” to her father's accusations that Joe Biden “stole” the election. In 2020, Laura reiterated on Wednesday that she believes victory is not legitimate.

At the event at his headquarters in South Carolina, where Saturday was the last day to vote in the Republican primary, staff asked supporters to gather in front of the stage to give the appearance of a large crowd. Laura is not a new entrant in the election campaign, but her role has grown. The former personal trainer and TV producer married Donald Trump's third son ten years ago. – Jared Kushner, Ivanka's husband, officiated the wedding – and the couple has two children together. As stated thereinHuffington Post, two daughters-in-law, Laura and Kimberly Guilfoyle (wife of eldest son Donald Jr.), were paid $180,000 a year as consultants by the Trump campaign in 2020. In 2021, he plans to run for Senate in his native North Carolina. He recently appeared in and covered educational videos for the Iowa caucuses I will not back down by Tom Petty (already used by his father-in-law at rallies despite the opposition of the singer's heirs). To allegations of nepotism, he responded, “The logic of having a family member on the board is that people know they can trust Donald Trump. I assure you.” I am loyal to him and will not waste money on flowers and limousines».

There is also a classic precedent: the president's daughter, Maureen Reagan, was elected co-president in 1987. Meanwhile, the president threatened to “permanently kick out of the Make America Great Again department” party donors who continue to fund his rival. Republican nominee Nikki Haley said her daughter-in-law would be tasked with bringing them back into the fold: “She won't turn anyone down.” We asked her if there was talk in the family about Ivanka returning to the leadership of the Trump Organization, since both Donald and Eric Trump were banned from managing businesses in New York for years, but she ignored the question: «I'm sure these ridiculous charges will be thrown out on appeal».