With her parents sitting in the front row, Wrightsville Beach native Lara Trump spoke to a crowd of about 150 in Wilmington, urging them to show their support for her father-in-law, Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump.
The Women for Trump rally on Thursday, Sept. 1, was what Lara Trump described as the “kickoff” event for what will be two months of campaigning in support of the New York businessman. Her message to the crowd of mostly women is one she will be relaying across the country: “It’s OK to vote for Donald Trump.”
The statement drew cheers from the crowd at the Terraces at Sir Tyler, who gathered for a group photo for Lara Trump’s social media account at the conclusion of remarks that lasted about 15 minutes.
Lara Trump told the crowd she was excited to be campaigning in her home state.
“I said sign me up for North Carolina,” she said. “Those are my people, I know they will vote for you.”
She’ll also be campaigning in other states, along with a group that includes campaign aid Katrina Pierson and Omarosa Manigault, a former contestant on Donald Trump’s reality show. She attended an event in Myrtle Beach, S.C. the same night, and will be making trips to Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Lara Trump said her message on these stops would be to convince supporters that the media image of Donald Trump doesn’t reflect the man who has become part of her family. Formerly Lara Yunaska, the Wrightsville Beach Elementary, Noble Middle and Laney High School graduate married Eric Trump, the candidate’s son, in 2014.
“He’s a brash kind of guy, but the Donald Trump I know is a good man with a good heart,” she said.
Lara Trump received a warm welcome from the crowd, many of whom said they were impressed with the woman who was taking a two-month hiatus from her job as a TV producer for Inside Edition in New York to work on the campaign.
“I feel like she knows Mr. Trump and has a heart for him,” said Debbie Dennis of Oak Island. “I believe her when she says that Donald Trump is our chance to turn America around.”
Dennis, a member of the Brunswick County Republican Women’s Club, said she supported Trump over all other primary candidates. With a little more than two months until Election Day, Dennis said she was working to present a positive message for Trump to people she meets that have concerns about the candidate.
“I’ve been speaking to people who are not for him and trying to help them get to know him and what he can do for all of us,” she said.
Lara Trump introduced her parents, Robert and Linda Yunaska, to the audience. Robert said Lara Trump believed “very deeply in the cause” and that she was enjoying her chance to campaign.
“She is thriving because she is good at it,” he said. “It was a great speech and she didn’t need notes. She just spoke what came into her mind.”
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