Lara Trump is so much like her husband’s family that it’s hard to believe she wasn’t born with her famous last name. But when she first met Eric Trump, she had no idea she’d become a part of Donald Trump’s political machine. “I never thought I’d end up with the last name Trump,” she said in her 2020 RNC speech. 

Lara isn’t just a Trump; she’s considering running for office with her father-in-law. She hosts a podcast called “The Right View” and answers fans’ questions in a scary segment called “Wanted for Questioning.” She’s gone from a girl who didn’t want to be in politics to a significant political player.

Lara Lea Trump grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. She loved animals and horses, but her worst childhood injury was from riding horses. After graduating high school, Trump stayed in North Carolina for college. She needed help choosing a major at North Carolina State University.

However, she decided a medical degree would take too long, so she settled on a communications major. According to her portfolio, she worked at Hooters during college, won a few bikini contests, and posed for Stuff a few months before graduating in 2005. She also participated in Maxim’s Hometown Hotties competition.

After college, Lara gave up on modeling. She returned home and worked as an intern at two local news stations. She then got a degree in pastry arts and started her own business. Trump sold cakes that looked like things like purses, brains, and Laker Girl’s boobs. 

Lara Trump and Eric Trump’s marriage is unusual because they met in New York. Lara noticed the Trump heir because he was taller than her. She is 5-foot-11, so it’s rare for her to meet a guy who is taller than her.

Before her wedding, Lara broke both wrists. A few weeks before she walked down the aisle, she had an accident riding a horse. Donald Trump spilled the beans about her first pregnancy. While she was preparing for motherhood, Lara was also busy helping Donald prepare for his reelection bid. Donald made her a senior adviser for his campaign. The avid triathlete hit the ground running. 

In September 2017, Lara Trump and Eric Trump welcomed their first child, Eric Luke Trump. That same year, Lara helped her father-in-law combat “fake news.” An insider told The Daily Beast that Lara was the architect of the ploy to make it look like Donald was getting positive press coverage. The source said that Lara had used her experience as an “Inside Edition” producer when working on the campaign ads disguised as news. Lara Trump became a more powerful political player. Lara Trump’s years of being a media surrogate for Donald Trump led to Donald giving her his endorsement for the role of RNC co-chair in 2024. Lara’s takeover of the RNC was controversial because it seemed like a conflict of interest. She had vowed to prioritize her father-in-law’s reelection, which could hurt down-ticket Republican candidates. “Every penny of every dollar donated to the RNC should go to Donald Trump’s campaign,” she told supporters in South Carolina, according to Bloomberg. Donald is a big fan of his daughter-in-law. “He always tells me that I’m a secret weapon,” Lara told The Wall Street Journal.

One of Donald’s rivals said the Trumps run the party like a family business. “He’s going to make the RNC his legal slush fund,” Nikki Haley predicted. Lara upset some people when she said that Republican voters would support the RNC paying Trump’s legal bills. She later told NBC News that this was something other than the committee’s focus.