Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, sought to reassure Americans skeptical or fearful of Trump's second term, saying he is not "hell-bent on revenge or retribution."
Lara Trump vocally supported Trump's three presidential campaigns and appeared at some campaign rallies alongside her husband, Eric Trump, this year.
She has been applauded for helping the GOP achieve a trifecta victory, gaining control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2018. She is likely to remain a key figure in politics, possibly in the next administration or, as some conservatives have urged, to fill Florida Senator Marco Rubio's seat after he is confirmed as Trump's secretary of state.
Donald Trump has called out his enemies and issued various threats against them, such as Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and former GOP Representative Liz Cheney, and has indicated that he wants to prosecute his critics. In October, NPR found that "Trump has issued more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison or otherwise punish his perceived opponents."
On Thursday evening, when asked by Washington Post investigative reporter Carol Leonnig how the president-elect plans to unify the country, Lara Trump responded, "Anyone who is afraid right now, you should not be afraid."
She said these concerns stem from "fearmongering" during the campaign, which she described as "completely unwarranted and unfair" toward Trump, then the GOP nominee.
After Leonnig later pushed back about how some of the president-elect's statements and actions may have instilled that fear, Lara Trump said, "I think oftentimes things get misplaced often with Donald Trump."
Instead, she said, people will realize that Trump "is not hell-bent on revenge or retribution of any variety" in his second term, adding that "he is not on a revenge tour."
"He actually himself said, 'My revenge will be success,'" she said.
She went on: "I actually believe that Donald Trump will be a unifying person for this country, and I know some people will find that really outrageous and hard to believe, but I kind of think you're already seeing some of the steps towards that direction right now."
Those steps have to do with more people expressing their political opinion in recent years, she said.
"The proof will be in the pudding, and the proof will be in what Donald Trump does. And I can assure you he has no intention of doing anything but truly unifying this country, truly bringing success back to America, truly keeping us safe," she said.
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