Lara Trump: Fears of retribution from president-elect result of 'fearmongering'

Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and President-elect Trump’s daughter in law, said people shouldn’t be afraid of his return to power.

The RNC co-chair, who has been discussed as a potential appointment to the Senate from Florida, blamed any worries on "fearmongoring" by the president-elect's critics.

“Well, let me just first say that anyone who is afraid right now, you should not be afraid. There was a lot of talk and a lot of really fearmongering, I think, that happened throughout the course of this campaign, and it really has been applied directly to Donald Trump,” she said in conversation with the Washington Post on Thursday.

“And I will tell you, it's completely unwarranted and unfair.”

Throughout the campaign, some people raised concerns about Trump seeking revenge on his political opponents, using military force on Americans he viewed as “the enemy within” and employing a “fascist” style of leadership.

But Lara Trump said the former president’s statements were misrepresented and misinterpreted.

“Well, I think you have to look at those in the context of how they were said, and I think oftentimes things get misplaced often with Donald Trump,” she told the Post.

She referenced his controversial comments about a Charlottesville rally attended by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in 2017 as an example.

The president at the time caught flack from the media for mentioning that there “were fine people on both sides” in discussing Charlottesville, but Lara Trump said his statements following the remark were not publicized.

“You take a look at the Charlottesville hoax, for example, where he very clearly said there were very fine people on both sides, except the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists who should be condemned totally,” she recited.

“Some people still don't know that that's what Donald Trump's full statement was. Some people still believe the first part of that is the only thing he said.”

Trump in remarks from Trump Tower in New York City on Aug. 15, 2017, repeatedly said there good people on both sides of the Charlottesville violence. He also said there were violent people on both sides. He also said he thought what took place was a "horrible moment" for the country. You can see those remarks here.

A day earlier, in remarks from the White House, Trump had given different remarks on Charlottesville that were more critical of bigortry and the violence from white supremacists and neo-Nazis. You can see those comments, in which Trump called on Americans to respond to hate with love, here.

Lara Trump said that sometimes people won’t agree with what Trump has to say but it won’t hinder him from working for the American people.

“You may not agree with everything Donald Trump posts on X. You may not like the way he says things, but I can promise you, he will work hard for you,” she added.

“And I believe that he will make everyone proud to be American once again, and I think that's the same for all of us.”