← Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels
Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels
Inside Trump 2.0: Exclusive with Lara Trump
01:10:46
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- [00:02]
Jillian Michaels
Lara Trump joins me today to talk about the most polarizing political dynasty of the 21st century. Her family. The Trump family, love them or hate them, there is absolutely no escaping the sheer magnitude of their impact.
- [00:20]
Lara Trump
Won the popular vote, that was great.
- [00:23]
Jillian Michaels
But what really happened behind the scenes of the Trump White House? How did they endure the relentless firestorm of media backlash, the lawsuits, the impeachment, the riots, and the accusation of tearing the country apart while still claiming to make America great again? From being hailed as champions of the forgotten American to being labeled as symbols of division and chaos, how does the Trump family reconcile these polar opposites? I mean, were the critics right? Or is there more to the story that the media refused to tell? And now with Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office on the horizon, the stakes could not be higher. Do you think he's safe For a.
- [01:00]
Lara Trump
Long time in our family, if I'm being really honest, worried about this?
- [01:04]
Jillian Michaels
What are their plans to unite a fractured nation? And are they bracing for even more resistance from the halls of Washington and beyond?
- [01:13]
Lara Trump
When he is in the heat of battle, he is the ultimate competitor and he's looking for any way to take down his opponent.
- [01:20]
Jillian Michaels
Most importantly, what comes next for America? Keeping it real with Jillian Michaels. Keeping it real, real, real. Your father in law is being inaugurated. Did you think you would see this day?
- [01:35]
Lara Trump
Oh, I knew I would see this day. It's kind of amazing, right? I mean, the things that we've all been through and, and really the ride that I feel like our entire family and I would actually argue the entire country has been on over the past nine years has been incredible. And, you know, I'd be honest if I said that there weren't some low moments. There were certainly low moments. And I think we faced those as a family. We face those as a country. But it's very special. And I've said this to my father in law many times. I actually tell him that I think it's so much better that he's being inaugurated in January of 2025 than it ever would have been had he been inaugurated in January of 2021. And at first, I don't know, Jillian, that he fully, like, appreciated that. I think he's understanding it more and more because the feeling this time around is very different. It really feels like the unification has started, that people get it now. The world is excited about Donald Trump as our president again. And I'm so stoked. So, yes, I believe that we would see this day. And I always knew that it would be so much Better and so much sweeter this time around.
- [02:46]
Jillian Michaels
Tell me a little bit about that ride. And obviously you and I both know it's a long one, but some high points and some low points.
- [02:55]
Lara Trump
Well, I mean, the highs were truly, you know, that election in 2016, that was absolutely incredible. And nothing prepared us in our family for that. You know, we were all political novices, we were very green going into things and I think we were all very naive as well. Even throughout the course of that election, I remember times where, you know, they kind of threw us all out on the campaign trail. Nobody gave us any media training or any real guidance as to really what was supposed to happen out there. They were just like, hey, want to go do an interview on msnbc? And I was like, sure. I didn't know that these people were going to go firing school on.
- [03:31]
Jillian Michaels
Yeah. Oh, no.
- [03:33]
Lara Trump
It was like, deepen and see if you can swim. Good luck. But to come out on top after everybody had said, like, this is impossible. Don't even think that Donald Trump has a shot at becoming president. That was incredible. I'll never forget the night of November 8, 2016, for as long as I live. It was my two year wedding anniversary with my husband Eric. Great anniversary present, by the way. But it was, it was amazing. And then, you know, to be honest, the lows were the election of 2020, the aftermath of that election, the way that my father in law was truly demonized in the wake of all of that, that we all felt like we were demonized in the wake of that. The lawfare against him, assassination attempts against him, and really feeling like this country was headed on a very frightening path, I think was, was a really scary time for a lot of people, but certainly for those of us in our family. But, you know, the highs never feel as good if you don't have the lows. And even in the depths of things when it really felt scary and really bad and very upsetting, I think we all kind of held out faith that the right thing would happen, that light would shine in the dark places, that the truth would ultimately come out on everything. And here we are today, and it feels absolutely incredible.
- [04:58]
Jillian Michaels
I want to reflect on that as a person and I want to be completely transparent with you. That did not vote for your father in law. Cried in 2016. Just stay with me here. When he was elected, I thought the world was going to end. I fully took the bait on the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. I literally was like, the economies, the global economies are gonna collapse. Gays are gonna be put in Internment camps. I mean, oh my God. But I bought it. I'm actually surprised cause I'm not a complete idiot and I fully bought it. So now we're cruising along through your father in law's presidency. And listen, you know, with any politician, there are things I would wish that they would do differently. There are things I wish that he would say differently or whatever. But I always think, well, you know, none of this stuff's happened like gays are still allowed to marry. And we seem to be doing okay here. We were, you know, everything, everything's still standing. And you know, my frigging bank accounts are doing well. So yeah, I'm gonna take a step back and just where all of this goes. Then Covid hits and your father in law is saying like, listen, let's not panic. The mortality rate of this thing is not high. It's going to be like a bad flu season. And to me that actually made sense. And he was saying like the China virus and everybody criticized him. But you started to understand that it was likely engineered in a lab in Wuhan. And all of a sudden I was thinking, wait a second, this guy's making more sense to me regarding this virus than Gavin Newsom, who's locked up the schools, who's partying at the French laundry without a mask on. And I know a lot of people that had gotten Covid and you were seeing that it was affecting people who very early who were morbidly obese, which was an indication that they were already extremely unhealthy, and people who were elderly, which is terrible. But my point is we should have directed our resources towards those more vulnerable populations, right? And I'm thinking like, okay, this makes sense to me. Come 2020, I really, I sat it out. I thought, I'm gonna wait and see what happens. I'm not quite sure which way the wind is blowing. I'm actually gonna sit this one out. Cause I really don't know what the better option is. Then I got four years of the Biden Harris administration in conjunction with Gavin Newsom as my governor, and I fled to Florida and I became an independent. And I have to be dead honest with you, many like myself that your father in law has brought into the fold were deep blue. But not only that, I don't think I've changed. And what I mean is I was never for sex changes for 12 year olds. I was never for biological males and women's sports. I was never for late term abortions when the health of the mother or the baby is not at Risk. I mean, do you feel that we all misunderstood your father in law the whole entire time? Have we changed? Has he changed? What has changed when you have taken deep blue people like Tulsi, like Kennedy, like myself. And I was just interviewing two journalists like Michael Shellenberger, Anna Kasparian, who are not Republican, but nevertheless have moved all the way to the middle and declare themselves independent when Bill Maher is now saying he's independent and not a Democrat. What do you think is contributing to that? I really think it's not just your father in law, but I feel like the other side has had to make such egregious mistakes.
- [08:55]
Lara Trump
Yeah. You mean you believe in common sense? Oh, wait a minute. Yeah, you kind of just laid it out there. Look there. There was a very strong misrepresentation of Donald Trump initially. And Jillian, I say this all the time. I obviously know this man, and I've known this man pre politics. I've known Donald Trump for 16 years. So I knew from the beginning who he was and what his goals were. And at his heart, you know, who this, who this man really is inside. And if I didn't know that, and if I were just Laura Unasca, which I used to be before I was Lara Trump and I turned on the wrong news station or I read the wrong newspaper or got my information from certain outlets, I probably would have fallen into the same category in the same trap that you did that so many other people did as well. Because it's very easy out there to buy the hype and the lies of the mainstream media. So I understand. And honestly, I never blame people when they come up to me. And so many people have said almost exactly what you just said, which is, I didn't vote for Donald Trump in 2016. Maybe they didn't vote for him in 2020, but they had this epiphany, this moment where they realized, wait a minute. So much of what I was told about this man clearly was wrong because we didn't get into World War Three. Yes, he had the nuclear codes, and our world has never been safer. There were no new wars when Donald Trump was in office. Money was plentiful here in America. Manufacturing coming back, energy independence, secure borders, the things that actually matter to people in a very positive way were happening. And so, so many people like yourself saw this and they said, well, the things they predicted didn't happen. And actually, I think I'm doing better than actually I was before. So something is wrong. But the other part of it that you mentioned is the party itself, the Democrat Party itself, I think, moved so far left that you never moved. You stayed in the same place. And that made you a centrist because they moved so far in one direction. And it is extreme stuff. And it's, it's so many things that people say, well, why am I going to focus on these things that are such a fringe issue that really don't impact most people's lives? If I can't put food on the table yet, you want me to buy into some woke ideology, it's not going to work for me. And a lot of people found themselves in the exact same place you did. So I think Donald Trump, at the end of the day is a common sense person. Yes, he ran for president as a Republican. Yes, he's the head of the Republican Party. He's changed politics overall, but he's also changed our party overall. And I think that's an incredible thing. There's so many people who never would have considered voting for a Republican who voted for Donald Trump, who may one day declare themselves to be a Republican. You mentioned Tulsi Gabbard. She of course changed her party affiliation, first from Democrat to independent Senate and now Republican. But whenever you go so hard in one direction and none of it makes sense to people and their lives are harder because of your policies, it just doesn't work for people. And that's why Donald Trump won in 2024. That's why the Democrat Party is fractured. They have some real issues over there. And I think you're going to see a lot of people who say, I don't identify with this party anymore. And I kind of either in the middle or, or maybe even lean right at some points.
- [12:14]
Jillian Michaels
You know, you bring up a few other things that I completely forgot to mention. Shame on me was the law and order piece I remember watching in Portland and Seattle, the Chop Zone where this complete group of hoodlums took over the downtown. Was it Portland or Seattle? It was called the Chop Zone or the Chaz. And the mayor of that city was calling it the Summer of Love. Women were being and your father in law wanted to send in the guard and clean it all up. And you're watching from the sidelines as Los Angeles is descending into riots and. But people aren't allowed to visit their loved ones in the hospital. They're not allowed to go to church. I'm not religious personally, but I respect everybody's right to worship as they choose. They're not allowed to go to their religious, their synagogues, their churches. But you're letting complete chaos Reign in the streets of the blue cities. And I thought, oh, my God, like, we need somebody to come in here who believes in law and order. That never would have been my top priority until all hell broke loose. Plus, I'm anti war, and all of a sudden, under Biden, my God, we're like looking at a catastrophe with China and Taiwan and we're now in this proxy war with Russia. I don't follow geopolitics. I don't get it. All I know is we're in these wars or funding them all over the world. Since he wasn't in office, is that going to stop? How is he going to resolve that? Do you think that his promise of shutting all of this down very quickly into his presidency is an empty promise, or do you think he can actually get that done?
- [14:01]
Lara Trump
Oh, he's going to get it done. Look, I saw my father in law. This may have been the week, Gillian, after he was elected, I saw him in his office on the phone with nearly every Middle Eastern leader out there. And they all said the same things to him. They said, we want the killing to stop, we want the war to end, we want peace, and we know you can make it happen. This is a man who's been elected as president elect for, for maybe a week at that point. They all called him and they all rallied around him because they want the killing to end. They want the war to stop as well. And they understand, like we understand, that when America leads from a place of strength that is good for the rest of the world, and we want to see that happen, I do believe he's going to end these wars, the Middle Eastern conflict, the war between Russia and Ukraine. And, you know, it's amazing because the mistakes made by the Biden Harris administration that led us to this point, we're all very preventable. You know, it started with Afghanistan, the exit from Afghanistan, the weakness we showed on the stage, Right. It was disaster and embarrassing and all of those things. But I do believe that he's going to take care of it. And he's. Look, he put out a very strong message for Hamas. He said the terror, the hostages need to be released. If they are not released by the time I am inaugurated and I'm actually President of the United States, I believe he said exactly. There will be healthy. And you know what? People don't want to test it out because they know Donald Trump means business. They saw it in the first term in office.
- [15:35]
Jillian Michaels
Right.
- [15:35]
Lara Trump
They know what that means now. And so, yes, I believe that these conflicts are going to be ended and in relatively short order.
- [15:42]
Jillian Michaels
But then the other thing that worries me, and it's the obvious question, I know you've been asked it before, when your father in law started talking about all of this stuff and then he brought on Kennedy and we all know what Kennedy plans to do. He plans on taking on big and big. Big. I was like, they're gonna kill him. And this is probably 18 months ago. At first they indicted him 34 times.
- [16:11]
Lara Trump
Is it like, oh, yeah, the Alvin Bragg. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, they indicted him four times. Then he had 34 felony counts. That was it that he was found guilty downtown Manhattan? Yes, that.
- [16:22]
Jillian Michaels
And I thought, okay, if that doesn't work, they're going to kill him. And then they shot him in the head. Do you think he's safe? Nothing's changed.
- [16:36]
Lara Trump
It's, it's a, it's a tough question. You know, I think that we've all, for a long time in our family, if I'm being really honest, worried about this. You know, when you have a person who goes against the grain and I mean that overall in terms of politics, yes, he's a Republican, but even the establishment in the Republican party was not excited about Donald Trump. Don't kid yourself for a second. This is a man who wants to do what is right. No matter, you know, how he thinks it will impact these big corporations or the. Whatever. He wants to do the right thing for the country. And that is a dangerous game to play when you're talking about all the things you just mentioned there. There are people who make their livelihoods off of us staying in constant conflicts around the world.
- [17:23]
Jillian Michaels
Right?
- [17:23]
Lara Trump
There are people who make their, their money off of, you know, putting stuff in our food supply that we probably shouldn't be eating, giving us pharmaceuticals constantly. It is a, it's a scary thing. And look, the, the situation in Butler was absolutely terrifying. I don't think Eric and I have been that scared ever in terms of his safety. That was a moment that I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I think that certainly the security has stepped up around him. Unfortunately for him, his one outlet that he loves. And I know you appreciate this, Jillian, as someone who works out and appreciates it like I do is golf. And he can't even go do that. And it makes me feel so sad for him. But it's amazing because I have always taken the approach with him that if he's not nervous about things, then I'm not going to be nervous about things. It's a little bit like Being on the airplane and the flight attendant not panicking around, and if they're okay and they're calm, I'm like, all right, well, the plane's still flying. Like, we're still good. I've kind of taken that from him. And when he's calm and he's relaxed and he doesn't seem concerned for himself, then I have to reciprocate that and have to feel the same way about things, because it doesn't do any of us any good to be afraid. But I think about it all the time. I think about the fact that when he was in office the first term, we didn't have ISIS anymore. They were gone. And now ISIS has popped back up. You have terrorists after him. You probably have people in our own country who want to see something horrible happen to him. So we'll never stop thinking about it. Even after four years in the White House. I will think about it forever with him, but he's unafraid. And I think that that's why he's such a great leader. And it's a very unique characteristic to have. He seems almost like his own safety is, you know, kind of a sidebar for him. He has a mission and a goal, and he's gonna focus on that no matter the cost.
- [19:19]
Jillian Michaels
Can you tell that he is setting his sights on pure legacy? And I had interviewed Bill O'Reilly who said, you know, he had this book all about how he was rating the different presidents. And he's like. I had spoke to Trump, and Trump said to me, like, what do I gotta do to be top notch? And he wouldn't tell him the details of the convers. But now all of a sudden, you see him and he's talking about taking on Canada and taking on Greenland and the Panama Canal, getting that back. And at first you're thinking, oh, my God, here we go. We're gonna get megalomaniacal again. This is gonna be received so badly. And I started to watch what was going on with Greenland, and Hannity actually was explaining to me in a private conversation. He was saying, he's like, this is genius. Because they've got gas that we need, they've got minerals, they've got precious metals. Militaristically, it's very strategic. It'll be so much harder for China and Russia to compete with us.
- [20:18]
Lara Trump
I thought, but you can't just go.
- [20:19]
Jillian Michaels
You can't just go. A land grab. It's 2025. The very next day, I see a clip of the leader of Greenland talking about how they want to join the US and leave Denmark.
- [20:32]
Lara Trump
Well, and the people there, by the way, Jillian, the people there, what I think generally feel that way. Denmark doesn't allow them to, to, you know, export those precious metals and those gemstones and drill for the oil that they have there. And it's, you know, they, they want to be able to flourish and have a great country as well. And so I think they're actually in favor of it, which is a great thing for everyone. But, you know, you talk about his legacy and not to interrupt you, please, I literally, I literally asked him this like a day ago about this. And I was like, what do you, what do you think? Like, what, what is your legacy? What do you want it to be? And he said, you know, I don't want to answer that because I've got a job to do. And if we do a great job, then the legacy part is easy. But if we don't do a great job, then people will always remember that as well. And people can criticize him time and time again for being this, you know, egomaniac or being so driven for his own personal success. But what people don't realize is it's actually us, it's the people of this country that are benefiting from a man whose drive is to be successful. But it's our success he wants. It's the country's success, the American people's success. And gosh, he is going to the ends of the earth to make sure this country is set up right and the right things happen for us. And we're so lucky to have someone who tries as hard and will try as hard as Donald Trump to do everything the right way, whether it's Greenland or Canada or whatever's gonna happen. The Gulf of America. Even as I think he wants to name the Gulf of Mexico, I mean.
- [22:10]
Jillian Michaels
It'S like, at first you think he's nuts. I'm like, oh, shit, right? You just.
- [22:15]
Lara Trump
Here we go.
- [22:16]
Jillian Michaels
And then I'm like, well, wait a second, what did we get Alaska for? That's so crazy they wanna come along. But who thinks like that? We haven't had someone think like that for how many hundred plus how many years exactly. Like when we purchased Alaska. It's bananas that he's thinking like this. But another thing that I find so almost incomprehensible about him is I've been through many lawsuits, nothing like your father in law, and they're horrible. None of them have criminal charges with them. So I don't have to worry about things like that. But you're just. You're hemorrhaging money, you're hemorrhaging time. You're playing defense. I can't tell you how much I aged during each and every one of those lawsuits. And I don't settle them because Dr. Phil once told me, never settle a lawsuit because the line at the suit Gillian Michaels window will get exponentially longer. You're just creating a bigger problem. So don't settle them. But it is. These are stressors. Just one without like, oh, we're gonna. You're gonna spend your life in jail. We're gonna make sure you never see the light of day again. And this man, how. How does he manage the stress? I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen a human being tolerate that kind of stress, then get shot in the head and then go back into the world. What do you think that is? I'm gonna criticize him in a minute. We have to do it. I like, we gotta do it. And I'm gonna let you address it, but I've never seen. I've never seen anything freaking like it. Have you ever met anyone like that? What is that?
- [24:00]
Lara Trump
No, no. He is. He is a very special, very unique person. He has this amazing ability to almost compartmentalize all of these things all at once and say, okay, well, this is what I'm dealing with here, but I'm going to put it over here and then focus on this thing. And. And the crazy part about. About him is he doesn't forget anything. I mean, he can tell you a conversation he had with somebody 35 years ago and exactly what was said and all of it. It's kind of remarkable. But I think he has this amazing ability to really take what he's dealing with in so many different respects and just kind of put him on the side and really remain so focused on whatever the task at hand is. And maybe the task is sitting in a courtroom and listening to a bunch of, you know, crazy stuff about someone accusing you of something, and then he's got to deal with that in that moment, and then he's got to go out and address the press, and then he's got to go out and do a Trump rally or. He's amazing, though. I know I've never met anyone like him. I've learned a lot from watching him, and I certainly have taken a lot of notes over the years. But it's a very unique personality to be able to do that, and I don't know that many have ever existed or ever will again again.
- [25:14]
Jillian Michaels
I have to give credit where credit's due. And these are all things that have changed my mind about him, about the political landscape. And I mean, I just, I find him to be fascinating for all of the reasons we're discussing. Okay, so I don't look like some sort of weirdo.
- [25:34]
Lara Trump
Lack of me. Okay, what do you got?
- [25:36]
Jillian Michaels
All right, here we go. So first of all, how do you handle. I collected all the criticisms I could collect here. How do you handle accusations that your family has blurred the lines between government and personal business interests?
- [25:48]
Lara Trump
Oh, well, that couldn't be more opposite. If you go back to the first Trump administration, what you'll find is that the Trump Organization, which is run and has been run by my husband Eric, since my father in law decided to run for President in 2015, went above and beyond. Jillian, Anything that was even required of a company like the Trump Organization. We went so far as to pay money back to the United States treasury anytime a foreign entity would stay at or spend money at Trump Properties. So somebody comes in from overseas, some dignitary from, you know, another country, and buys a martini at what used to be the old post office, the Trump Hotel in D.C. we gave that money to the United States Treasury. Tell me how much credit anybody got for that from the zero Trump family.
- [26:34]
Jillian Michaels
I heard he never divested. He was incentivized. I have heard the exact opposite, to be honest.
- [26:39]
Lara Trump
Yeah, it's all.
- [26:40]
Jillian Michaels
And my answer to it was they all do that, you know, not that I think it's right, but no, I've never heard any of that. I've heard the exact opposite.
- [26:47]
Lara Trump
And honestly, he. My husband is 100% in control of the company. And what people have to remember, too, with the Trump family is that they were in international business before Donald Trump ever ran for politics. It's the opposite. If you look at a family like the Biden family, you could argue the Clintons. You go down the line of all these political dynasties, they all somehow got money from international, you know, relations, so to speak, after they were involved in politics. Donald Trump, you know, had on the front end of that, this big business empire. And there were no new business deals done overseas while he was in the White House, because, again, we didn't even want the faintest hint of impropriety. People will constantly criticize you. They'll constantly make things up. I have done so much work for animal rescue. I'm a huge animal rescue advocate. I have a foster dog at my house right now who's probably chewing up one of my daughter's Barbies as we speak. And I have done nothing but donate my own money to these causes. And yet, if you go Google me, one of the first things that comes up is that somehow I've stolen money from dog charities. So it's all trash out there. And what you have to do is just, like, focus on what you know is true and right and the people who know you. But no, the. The. The Trump Organization, believe me, if there was anything that had ever happened improper, you think we wouldn't know about it by now? Yeah.
- [28:07]
Jillian Michaels
Okay. Critics have claimed that Trump family prioritizes loyalty over qualifications in political roles. I have to give this one. Like Matt Gaetz. This is where I. I'm gonna be honest. He's. Why. Why Matt Gaetz?
- [28:25]
Lara Trump
Why. So Matt Gates. Well, he's not. I know he's not gonna make it OG anymore. But you know what? If you met Matt Gaetz and you talked to him, he's an incredibly intelligent person.
- [28:35]
Jillian Michaels
I can't give you this one. I can't do it.
- [28:38]
Lara Trump
He operates a certain way, certainly politically, and I know he gets a little amped up, but, you know, it's not.
- [28:44]
Jillian Michaels
Sex with underage girls.
- [28:46]
Lara Trump
It's not gonna happen. And I will say this. Pam Bondi is. I. I've known Pam Bodney for years. She's gonna do an incredible job as Attorney General. So we don't even need to worry about Matt Gaetz anymore.
- [28:56]
Jillian Michaels
I get it. But do you think. Thank God. No offense, but do you think that that is a legitimate concern? By the way, I can completely understand why he would feel that way, because you've seen him be turned upon by people that had worked with him in his 2016 administration. However, will that be balanced out a bit more efficiently? In other words, do you think everybody getting the job that they're going to get, that they will be exceedingly credible? Because I understand why he feels the way he feels, but I would just. As a regular person, I didn't like Matt Gaetz. That's the part where, you know, you just want to. You want a direct line to be like, no, no, no.
- [29:45]
Lara Trump
And by the way, I wouldn't expect anyone to agree with everything I do all the time. Everything he does all the time. But if you actually look at all of the people he has at the top of his administration, in these cabinet positions and in these really important roles, you know, you could argue. Look at RFK Jr this is not a guy who owes Donald Trump any loyalty. He really wants to do a great job, and that's exactly what Donald Trump wants to see happen. He wants effective people who he knows are going to work hard and not spend their time, Jillian, stabbing him in the back, selling stories to the press, leaking stories here and there for their own, you know, political advantage or whatever it might be for them. Because he learned a lot of hard lessons the first time around. And I think if you ask him what do you think was your biggest mistake the first term in office, he would probably say a lot of the people with whom he surrounded himself and he doesn't want to make that mistake again. So, I mean, people criticize the loyalty aspect of it, but you want to know at the same time that someone is there for the right reasons, that they are there to actually do the job that the American people mandated they do and work alongside of you and not work against you behind the scenes. So, you know, whether it's our RFK Tulsi, you could go down a list of these people. And the loyalty to Donald Trump is far outweighed by their qualifications for the job. And I think that ultimately what they wanna do for this country. And I think it's gonna be amazing to watch it all happen.
- [31:14]
Jillian Michaels
All right, here's the toughest one. And this has been one of my personal criticisms. This is the one that I struggle with. It's the one thing that I wish, really strongly wish had not happened. I wish that we had not repealed Roe v. Wade. And I don't. Listen, I am not for late term abortion, but I can understand the upset and the concern from many women regarding this topic because he said he was gonna do it and he did do it. How do you restore? Okay, I liked what J.D. vance said at the debate against Tim Walls where he said, listen, we're hearing your concern. We're gonna reevaluate some of these positions. But how do you speak to those women? Simply because I'll say, I think that this will create bigger problems. You've got things like the Heartbeat bill where a woman doesn't even know she's pregnant and may not have the resources and now needs to travel to another state to get an abortion. And you hear horror stories. You've heard them women bleeding out in parking lots of Texas hospitals because they had tubal pregnancies that weren't addressed properly. I'm hitting you with the toughest one, cuz this is one that I genuinely wish had not happened. What are your thoughts on this one?
- [32:35]
Lara Trump
This is probably the hardest topic out there because I actually don't think any two people in the entire country view this topic the same way. My husband and I, you know, some of my best friends and I know two people look at it the same way. Some people weigh religious aspects of it. What I will say is that I think there's been a lot of fear mongering on this one. You know, yes, Donald Trump argued to repeal Roe v. Wade. He appointed Supreme Court justices that ultimately made that call. But if you look at what's, what's happened as a whole, it actually has given we the people more opportunity in our own states to opine on an issue that again, no two people are going to agree in the exact same way on. I understand the concerns of people out there and I think that there, there is some middle ground that I think a lot of people would like to see. And no, no one wants these horrific situations, someone bleeding out. I think those sorts of things that the very few instances where there has been some egregious situation like that are amplified. And maybe there's not all fact there. I don't know the answer. But what I will say is that as a woman, as a mom of a daughter who, you know is five now but will be older one day, I feel very comfortable knowing that I get to vote in the state of Florida on what I think is best here. And you know, people in California are gonna vote differently. People in New York are gonna vote differently. Some laws are going to be much more lenient. Some laws are going to have very late term abortions available in different states. But we the people at least get to opine on it. And it's not nine justices in Washington D.C. who get to make this decision for us. So it is very tough. And there's no perfect answer. And I hear that and I agree with exactly what J.D. vance said, which is that I think there's going to be a continuing conversation about this and I think this is something long term. We as a country are probably not done talking about yet.
- [34:44]
Jillian Michaels
Would he sign a national abortion ban? Is that even possible, by the way? I don't even know. Does that even.
- [34:51]
Lara Trump
Well, he said no. He said no. He says he doesn't. He would never sign a federal abortion ban. I think he was asked about it maybe in a debate or after the debate. No, absolutely not. But listen, that's gotta be voted on by Congress. I don't think that we'd ever get there even if we did. He said no. He would not.
- [35:08]
Jillian Michaels
Okay, looking forward to the gop. What are some issues or policies that you feel they should prioritize to appeal to younger generations and women, because you're kind of in charge of this bad boy now. You're thick in this. What do you see as the way forward to really capture these demographics?
- [35:32]
Lara Trump
Well, I think you saw a huge shift in this election, certainly. And you're right. I've been co chair of the RNC for a little under a year. My term is actually coming up, and I am stepping away from it because I did my job. I said I wanted to come in for just this election. When I was asked, I first said, no, Gillian, and then I said, all right, I'll do it, but only for this election. And obviously very happy with the outcome. But I think you saw younger people start to take a look at the Republican Party for the first time, really, in my lifetime, because people want common sense. And I think that that's, you know, it all goes back to that. Young people, you know, want to make sure that whenever they graduate from college, there's a job waiting for them, that they can afford a house one day, they can afford to start a family. So you want the economy to be in such a place that it's going to work for you. And I heard from so many people I know who, you know, are still in college or have just graduated from college that they're terrified about what the future looks like for them. So I think if Donald Trump is able to do what he plans on doing over the next four years, I think it's going to lock a lot of people in, a lot of younger people, into voting for Republicans, you know, down the line. And I think that you've seen that with a lot of voting blocks, and I hate to use that term, but it's a real term of people who traditionally never looked at the Republican Party. People want to be able to afford their lives.
- [36:57]
Jillian Michaels
Yes.
- [36:57]
Lara Trump
They want the best for their families. They just want to be, in a lot of cases, left alone, government to leave them alone and be able to live their lives safely and securely and, you know, have a bright outlook for the future. And so I think that those policies are what drew a lot of people in. And assuming we can, you know, make good on those, which I believe Donald Trump will, I think it's going to be very helpful to expand the tent of this party.
- [37:25]
Jillian Michaels
I'm kind of disappointed that you just said that, because this is my next question. How do you see your role in shaping the future of the Republican Party?
- [37:33]
Lara Trump
Well, you know, what's interesting is I really considered kind of putting myself out there to fill the vacancy that assuming Marco Rubio is confirmed as our next Secretary of State, exists here in his Senate seat in Florida. And I ultimately decided that it wasn't the right time for me right now to do it. But what I said is it's no for now, not no forever. And I mean, had you asked me, Jillian, nine years ago if I ever thought I was gonna be involved in politics in any way, I would have said absolutely not. But Donald Trump changed the game for so many people. I think what he showed me, what he showed a lot of Americans, is that anything is possible. And our country was founded by people who did everyday jobs and then also were your congressman or your senator or whatever it was. And so I've really enjoyed the time I've spent as co chair of the rnc. I love, I've loved traveling the country, hearing from people, hearing their stories, especially as it relates to my father in law, and in a lot of ways how their lives have gotten better because of him, why they were so enthusiastic about voting for him, you know, this time. And so I would never count myself out for something in the future. And I don't really know what that means, but, you know, we'll see how it shakes out, and we'll see what happens with life. I'm very happy to right now remain with my kids and my husband here in Florida, but never say never to anything. So we'll see.
- [39:06]
Jillian Michaels
I don't agree, and I don't agree with you on this one. And I honestly, I didn't pay close attention to it. Cause really, up until probably, I don't know, the past eight months, I kept thinking I was gonna just really sit it out. And it was getting worse and worse and worse politically with the Democrats going all the way over to the far left. And when you first became co chair of the rnc, I honestly would have thought, like, okay, nepotism, whatever, typical Trump family stuff. But whether it was or whether it wasn't, you've done an incredible job.
- [39:46]
Lara Trump
Thank you.
- [39:47]
Jillian Michaels
You're incredibly articulate, incredibly intelligent. You've got a very firm grasp on the situation, and I'm disappointed to hear that. Is there a reason that you feel the need to wait?
- [40:01]
Lara Trump
Yeah. I mean, my family's very young. You know, My kids are 5 and 7.
- [40:04]
Jillian Michaels
I get it.
- [40:05]
Lara Trump
And after talking with a lot of senators and really hearing the schedule and the back and forth, I'm not in a place right now to move my family to Washington, D.C. so until I feel like we could do that, and maybe, maybe that's a couple of years in the future, then this is the place for me. You know, my priority and my most important title I will ever hold is the title of Mom. And I take it very seriously. And you know, I am able to do other things and I have a lot of other things I'm doing. I have a podcast, I'm working on, a documentary. I've thrown a few songs out there, which I know a lot of folks on the left are big fans of. You guys are welcome. There may be more coming. I just have a good time and I try to do things that interest me. I started a fitness clothing line and so it didn't feel like it was the exact right fit for right now. And it's funny you say that about nepotism. Whenever you are chosen as co chair of the RNC or chair of the RNC, you have to be voted into that position by 168 members of the Republican National Committee. So had they not wanted me to be in this role, I would not be here right now. So look, I think that anything is possible in the future and I'm very open to it. I'm here to amplify the message that the Trump administration will have and get their what they're doing out for the next at least little bit while I can. And we'll see what happens, you know, down the line.
- [41:36]
Jillian Michaels
Okay, well, I'll be waiting. And I do. I was just about to ask you specific initiatives or causes that you're passionate about, so maybe you could elaborate a little bit about all of those things that you're up to. And I'm not ending this interview, but since you brought it up where, where we can learn more, what you're really drilling down on and how people can get involved in some of the causes.
- [41:58]
Lara Trump
Well, thank you. Yeah, like I said, I'm a cause wise. I'm a huge animal rescue advocate. I do a lot with Big Dog Ranch, which is the largest cage free, no kill dog shelter not just in America, but in the entire world. They do an incredible job. They're based here in Florida. Eric and I are also huge advocates of St. Jude Children's Hospital. We've raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million and built out an ICU and surgery center with the money that we've been able to raise for them. So we're really proud of that. But for me, you know, stay tuned because there's a lot to come. I'm going to have some things to announce after the inauguration that I'm working on, but I have my clothing line which you can go to laratrump.com to find out about. You can also find my podcast, it's called the Rate View there. And, you know, I'm, I'm enjoying being a mom, but I'm enjoying kind of diving into these other spaces a little bit as well. And obviously on all my social media, Arali Trump, you can find all of it there too. So, yeah, it's been a wild ride for me, and I'm just settling in. I feel like I've only written the first chapter of my book. Jillian.
- [43:04]
Jillian Michaels
I do see that. I see that. And, you know, you bring up the wild ride again as I toss my pen. And of course, my. You lead me right into every next question, which was, how do you navigate criticism and controversy? Personally, as a public figure, and I think as a public figure, obviously, I've experienced a ton of it. And there's so much misinformation. I hate to use that term, but there's just, there's. There are so many lies, and they are intentional and on purpose. How do you navigate that? Like, there was one that just came out about me today, and it's stupid, but it bothered me. And it was a home I had sold four years ago, and it was Jillian Michaels rages about the fires as her $10 million Malibu mansion stands. And I thought, like, I, first of all, I didn't pay $10 million for that place. Second of all, I sold it four years ago. Third, I'm no longer a California resident, but it bothered me because it makes you seem like an asshole at a time when you're trying to help people. And so, of course, I had my publicist reach out to the Daily Mail and say all those things, but I don't know how many people already saw that and already had negative comments. And even though I'm accustomed to it, it's annoying. And you suffered these things exponentially. How do you deal with them?
- [44:25]
Lara Trump
Well, I was just gonna say, you probably understand, you know, better than a lot of people what that's like. Initially, I'll be really honest, it was really hard for me because I didn't grow up in all of this. I grew up like a normal person in America. You know, I come from a middle class family. My parents are small business owners. And, you know, I went to public school my whole life, so I never anticipated having the last name Trump. And then whenever that happened, I was like, well, that's enough. And then my father in law ran for president and I was like, whoa. Then I got thrown into the fire. So nothing prepares you for any of this stuff. And initially, it was shocking. It was crazy. And I learned very quickly you cannot read the comments on anything, especially on the Daily Mail. Those are the most egregious comments you'll ever read. So don't. Don't click in there, because they're horrific. But you know what? I think what you find is that the people who know you are the ones who matter. And, you know, I think if anyone's ever had an interaction with me anywhere in the entire world, I hope they come away with it understanding that I'm a nice person, I'm a kind person, I'm thoughtful, I'm not an. Like. They probably try to paint us all to be, and that's all you can do. You know, there will always be the stories out there. I. I remember we had a. A tropical storm come through, and it hit the. The west coast of Florida, but my kids were out of school. This is, like, two years ago. My kids were out of school because, you know, the precaution and whatever. And there. Anyone who's been through a hurricane or tropical storm knows there's bands of rain and then there's clear areas. Well, during one of the clear areas, my kids were dying to get out. They've been locked inside all day. My dogs wanted to get out. So we literally walked, like, two houses down in my neighborhood, and my son was on this little. Like, I don't even know what it was, some motorized little thing. And then it started pouring out of nowhere. So I thought it was kind of funny because we're just getting absolutely drenched, and my son is there driving his little truck thing. And I took a video of it and said something like, character building. You know, doing a little character building today. People were like, child protective services should take her kid away. She had them out in a hurricane. I'm like, but that's the thing. These people have never met me. They would never say this to my face. Keyboard warriors, hiding behind your phone. It's really easy to do. And all I really care about are the people who know me and who interact with me on a regular basis and who understand who I truly am. And I think if everybody out there gave me a chance, I don't know, maybe I would surprise you. You might actually like me.
- [47:01]
Jillian Michaels
Do you think? Also, the proof is in the pudding. And what I mean by that is how long. Who was the last Republican candidate that won the popular vote?
- [47:11]
Lara Trump
Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while. I mean, I'm gonna Say it was Ronald Reagan.
- [47:18]
Jillian Michaels
Did George W. Bush maybe?
- [47:20]
Lara Trump
I don't think so.
- [47:22]
Jillian Michaels
Think about that. I mean, that also speaks volumes. That said, I wonder if it's those. You've had massive victories. You know, I get small ones. Do those massive victories continue to drive you forward and allow you to see the force through the trees?
- [47:41]
Lara Trump
I think so. And look, I always, I am a person who, I am a person of faith, but I also believe in karma to some extent. And I've always felt like if you're a good person and you really do try to do the right things, then good things will ultimately happen to you. And I always have felt like truth would come out with all of these things, whether it's my father in law, whether it's those of us in our family. And I've always kind of operated in, in that way. But it feels good to do something that's so much bigger than you. And I think, I mean, you, you kind of alluded to that and what you just said, which is, you know, yeah, it's easy to kind of just like stay safe and stay, stay on the periphery and not really get into it, but when what you're doing matters, and it matters to a lot of people and it makes a difference, that's huge. And that's a huge driver for me to. I'll tell you, I wasn't going to be the Trump at the RNC who blew it and lost this election. So I was like, well, I am going to do everything in my power, I don't care if I don't sleep for eight months, to make sure that this election is fair and that, you know, there's no cheating and whatever it was. And so I think for me, it's about something that's so much bigger than me. And in my wildest dreams, I could have never imagined being a part of any of this. It's been incredible. I'm humbled all the time that I'm even here. And sometimes people use the term fake it till you make it. I'm like, am I still faking it? I don't know. Did I trick everybody that I'm like. It just feels like sometimes I have to pinch myself because I feel so lucky to be involved with all this. All the hits, all the nonsense, all the garbage that comes at you. Yeah, it sucks, but it's so much bigger than me. It's such a big deal. And I'll always be driven by something like that.
- [49:33]
Jillian Michaels
What made you decide to jump in front of this firing squad? Because you could have taken a back seat. You know, some of the children do, some of the significant others do. And then some walk into the line of fire and back out and don't get involved again. I mean, you knew this was going to be trial by fire. No pun intended. What made you decide? Yeah, I'm jumping in.
- [49:58]
Lara Trump
Well, I mean this, in particular this election. I got a call from my father in law about a year ago actually, and he was very emphatic that I should run for co chair of the rnc. And I immediately told him no. Cause I knew Jillian, I knew this election. I was like, oh my gosh. Imagine I'm the culture of the artist goes wrong. Yeah.
- [50:19]
Jillian Michaels
Oh God.
- [50:19]
Lara Trump
I have young kids and like the whole thing. And I really thought long and hard about it and. And it's probably why I do crazy stuff like triathlons. And I know you probably appreciate all this.
- [50:32]
Jillian Michaels
I hate triathlons. I appreciate the day because they're pure hell. I appreciate the discipline.
- [50:37]
Lara Trump
Yeah. I put myself in uncomfortable situations regularly because there's some like sick part of me that likes that. But I knew that I was never going to be able to look myself in the mirror if I chickened out. And I was like, meh, I'm just going to sit this one out. And so I told him no and I hung up the phone. And then that night I tucked my kids in bed and I was really considering it and I was like, God, I feel like I have to do this. Like, what if I could do something that made the difference and I don't do it or what? So I, I just called him back and I said, okay, I'll do it. Of course he called me and he was like, honey, it's gotta be you. And I was like, oh, come on. But yeah, you know, and I'm proud I made that decision. My parents raised me to kind of face fears and it feels good to triumph over something that scares you. I love to do things that scare me and this terrified me, honestly. So I had a great partner in Michael Watley, the chairman of the rnc. A huge shout out to the whole team there. Cause I didn't do it alone. I had a great team behind me, but very proud of the work and you know, I've done that. And now we'll see. We'll see what the future holds.
- [51:49]
Jillian Michaels
But you in particular were under the microscope, obviously as a trump. So Michael Watley. Michael Watley didn't have it half as hard just because of that one simple fact alone. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing America today and your father in law in this next term, I.
- [52:11]
Lara Trump
Mean, I would say it's unity. I think that my goal for the next four years, obviously, is to fix all that's been broken and to close a border and safe communities and more money in people's pockets. Energy independence, all those things. Stop the wars. But I really want to see this country come together. And I think the irony of all ironies, Gillian, will be that I actually believe Donald Trump can get it done. The man who was vilified, who was demonized, who we were told is a dictator on day one, who you know is akin to Adolf Hitler. All those things.
- [52:45]
Jillian Michaels
Oh, God, that's so absurd.
- [52:47]
Lara Trump
Yeah, it's crazy. Of course it's crazy.
- [52:49]
Jillian Michaels
It's offensive to anybody who's Jewish and understands the Holocaust. Like drawing such a distinction. Disgusting comparison is absolutely outrageous. And I am sorry for interrupting you and sounding off. Please continue.
- [53:02]
Lara Trump
No, you're exactly right. I mean, it's how a lot of people feel. But I believe that, that we're really going to see that happen. And, and I hope we do, because it's very hard to have a country that does feel so fractured and, and I don't like it. And I still have friends who I don't believe even this election voted for my father in law. And in some ways, they probably look at me like I'm an absolute nut job. And they're probably still like, wait, what? But they're probably getting some bad information. And I hope that he can do things in his final term in office. And there will only be one, despite what you've heard out there, doesn't want to stay in there for more than four years that can bring people together, that will assure people that he really does have good intentions. And this was never about him. This has always been about America. And that is my hope. I do think it's the biggest challenge, but I'm incredibly hopeful and optimistic about all of that right now.
- [54:01]
Jillian Michaels
If I was to be critical, one of the things being critical, one of the things that I don't love is when he goes after strong women. I hate to say it. I don't like Newsome. And every time he calls him Newscom, I laugh. And I realize that I don't get to cherry pick who he insults. So if I had to do a trade off on it, I kind of wish. And I realize this is just like, hey, this is who he is. But it's gonna be tougher when you call people like Nikki Haley birdbrain. Because I understand if you feel she was disloyal to you or you don't like her politics or whatever it may be, but she's extremely accomplished. It's those kinds of things that make it tough to bring people together. Cuz people love to point out. I see it all the time online. You know, Cenk Uygur on the Young Turks, this has nothing to do with your father in law, but he was talking about the fire catastrophe and how making DEI the central talking point for what went wrong is why he could never become a Republican. And the reality is so much went wrong, that's the least of it, if it contributed anything. So I wonder, will there be a post mortem where the Republican Party evolves a bit, like what you were saying on women's issues or taking the higher ground at times? Because I think the party that continues to evolve is the party that will continue to win. Personally, I agree with that.
- [55:34]
Lara Trump
Well, and I think I would even say Donald Trump is continuing to evolve. You know, I look back at his early days running and he's a very different person now. And what I will say just to push back a little bit is he's an equal opportunity offender.
- [55:52]
Jillian Michaels
Right. That's true.
- [55:53]
Lara Trump
You know, this is, this is a guy who would remember little Marco. And little Marco is now going to be our Secretary of State.
- [55:59]
Jillian Michaels
I do.
- [56:00]
Lara Trump
When he's in the heat of battle, he focuses his sights on his opponents and he takes them down. Now, some people may not agree with all the ways in which he does that, but this is his method. And clearly it's worked because he's going to be inaugurated. You know, he's going to be our 47th president. It's interesting because that is often a criticism I hear about him. But if you take a look at what he said after he won, it's not like he's still going hard on Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. In fact, he had a very nice meeting with Joe Biden and he was the first person to say it. He had a very nice interaction with Barack Obama at Jimmy Carter's funeral. So, you know what I mean? Like this is, I actually think if you, if you take a look at him, yes, when he is in the heat of battle, he is the ultimate competitor and he's looking for any way to take down his opponent. And in a lot of ways I respect that. But I think when the, you know, when it's all said and done and he's done with the whatever the fight is that he's fighting for and that, that's all settled now. He's, he's going to be the 47th president then you know what? I think that he kind of softens a little bit. And I think you've seen that happen. And I think now that he's going to be president for four years, he doesn't need to pick those little fights with everybody like he did previously. He was, you know, your first term in office, you're kind of running for your second term as president still.
- [57:23]
Jillian Michaels
Yeah.
- [57:23]
Lara Trump
So I think it might be different. So give him, give him a little chance on that.
- [57:27]
Jillian Michaels
I definitely will. I definitely will. If you could go back and do one thing different over the last eight years, what would it be?
- [57:40]
Lara Trump
You know, Eric and I were very conscious during his first term in office of not doing, not going on any of the official trips. The only one we actually went on and we flew ourselves, we didn't fly an Air Force One was over to meet the Royal Family because we were invited over to meet Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family in the uk and that was absolutely incredible. But he and I were, there were so many cool places that my father in law went and we said, ah, you know what, we don't want to look inappropriate. We don't want to show up at these places. And obviously just to have the experience. I kind of wish some of those places I would have been because man, they were really cool. Obviously we'll see what happens in the next four years. And I never wanna introduce myself.
- [58:28]
Jillian Michaels
Yeah.
- [58:28]
Lara Trump
In a situation that's inappropriate and we never will. But I do think there were some really, really awesome things we could have seen.
- [58:36]
Jillian Michaels
Give me one, one of them.
- [58:38]
Lara Trump
Oh my gosh. Well, I'll tell you one that I missed out on that I wish I hadn't. Eric went was to Normandy for the. I forget if it was the 80th anniversary or 75th anniversary of D Day. I mean he, my husband tells me these stories and I was pregnant with my daughter. This is right after we met the Royal family and I was like seven months pregnant. I was like, I gotta get outta here. I gotta get home. And I didn't go. And I have the, the biggest regrets of my life about not going there. Cause I, I love world history and I love learning about World War II and all of that history there. And I'm like, oh my, I missed it. So we'll see, we'll see what happens this next term. Maybe I'll go somewhere cool.
- [59:19]
Jillian Michaels
I've got one more tough one. And by the way, I have every Confidence that you'll be going somewhere cool. And I can't wait to hear you talk about it on your podcast when you do. But I should ask this question, and I should have asked it earlier because it's tonally odd at the moment, but how are you guys planning on handling the way that much of the legacy media is shaping the narrative, do you think your father online, I fully agree with this. Thank God someone's doing it. Him going after these news organizations that are manipulating information, do you think that's gonna change things? And why do you think, by the way, that they're all so left leaning, they're all running cover for Democrats that screw up? I mean, DeSantis said it great. He's like, if Newsom was a Republican, you'd have nailed this guy to the wall because he's a D. You're all running cover and it's not gonna stop. So do you think some of the legal action that your father in law is taking, do you think that will stop it? Is there anything that will stop it? Is there a way to manage it? Are there laws that can be passed that bring people back to just the facts? Ma'am?
- [60:31]
Lara Trump
Yeah, look, I think you've seen a huge shift and a lot of it has been away from the legacy media people. If you look at where a lot of people are getting their information, it's podcasts, it's on x, it's on TikTok, which is like outrageous, but that's where people are getting their information. And I mean truly the legacy media, meaning like the newspapers, cable news, it's kind of phasing itself out. And if you look at a lot of those specific organizations that are very left leaning, their numbers are dwindling. I mean, they are in deep, deep trouble. And they really can't sustain the numbers that they have. In terms of people who are tuning in to get their news from them long term, it just doesn't work. They're not going to make any money and they're eventually going to be extinct. And so I think that people in this country are very smart. And you know, we always, there's always change, there's always new things happening. And I think the shift that we're seeing is really away from that. Anyway, what I found interesting though is the very first news conference that my father in law did post election, it was when there was $100 billion of investment promised to the United States. He did that press conference, it was 90 minutes. And it was amazing because I clicked around to a lot of different channels. Cause I was like, let me just see how they're covering this. And I remember the old Chirons underneath Donald Trump where it would be, you know, he would say one thing and they would, man, they would just take it all out of context and I'd be like, that's not even what he said. What was interesting though is they actually all kind of had the same things underneath which were very reflective of what he actually said. And I kind of sat back and I was like, this is interesting. Maybe it's just for the moment, but maybe they're understanding that the people are demanding because they're not tuning into your outlets anymore, that you start telling us the truth and that you stop trying to manipulate us. And man, it was resounding on November 5th. And they better start taking notes or else they are going to phase themselves out because the American people are smart. There are a lot of options in terms of where you get your news and information out there. And I think the best thing we can see happen is for people to just naturally kind of move away from them, which I actually think is already happening.
- [62:52]
Jillian Michaels
Another thing I noticed as we talk about all these different news channels and how they lean left, your father in law and your family, yourself in particular, J.D. vance, so on would run into any and every firing squad, as I mentioned, and yet the Democrats run into none. Do you realize that I have invited all of them, I mean, from Donna Brazile to Josh Shapiro, you name it, news pundits, politicians, none of them come on. And even if it's like, well, Jill, I mean, let's be fair, you're a fitness trainer, okay, but you're on. Megyn Kelly came on. Bill O'Reilly came on. Patrick Bet David came on. Senator Johnson came on. I mean, all of them came on, not one Democrat. And it's a similar complaint from Bill Maher, who couldn't believe Kamala Harris wouldn't give him an interview, or Joe Rogan, who Kamala Harris wouldn't sit down with, Jon Stewart, who's talking about the fact that left wing pundits won't sit down to talk with him. These are liberals they won't sit down to talk with. Why do you think that is? And do you think that is another part of what cost her the election?
- [64:12]
Lara Trump
Absolutely. I mean, Donald Trump put himself out there. And to your point, he was unafraid to go anywhere. And those of us who were out there kind of speaking on his behalf or behalf of the RNC or the campaign. Likewise, I anyone who offered me an Interview I would, I would generally say yes to, because that's how you win. You got to communicate with all of the public, even people who may not fully agree with you, you got to talk to them. You know, I, I can only assume that if you have something to hide or you have things for which you cannot answer, perhaps you wouldn't want to put yourself out there. I think that was the thing for me. And, and I would probably say my father in law and the rest of our, you know, our surrogates out there on the campaign is that we were just out there talking about what the people wanted to hear and what Donald Trump actually wanted to do. There were, there was nothing to hide. There were no kind of like gotcha spaces. I mean, people would try to give you the gotcha questions, but all the.
- [65:07]
Jillian Michaels
Time, you know what I mean?
- [65:08]
Lara Trump
All the time trying to, you know, backpedal and worry about. There was none of that. It's just he was there for four years. There were no new wars. You guys said there would be world war, World War Three. You know, he was there for four years and our economy was fantastic. You can't knock this man for the job he previously did. He wants to come back in and do it again. So I don't know what you got. But look, that's all I can figure is, and I bet there's a lot of embarrassment, you know, these people, rightly so, should feel embarrassed, show up, make your case.
- [65:41]
Jillian Michaels
I can't. All I say these days is I can't wrap my head around it because I literally can't.
- [65:47]
Lara Trump
There's a lot of that.
- [65:48]
Jillian Michaels
And I wonder. Last question. I promise I'll let you go. But I appreciate this personally, so I wanna be sure to ask about it. The Democrats are exceptional at purging people like you're just not pure enough. So they cancel you and kick you out of the party and they diminish their numbers by design, while simultaneously the Republican Party is willing to sit down with anybody, welcome anybody in, show up at anything, Whose idea was it? Because I know that Bobby Kennedy offered himself up to Kamala and said, okay, I'm willing to talk with anybody who wants to talk. Let's see who I can form the best partnership with. I'm sorry to swear here, but she shit all over him and she shit all over the people that believed in him by doing so. I personally was offended by that. And then your father in law sat down with him. Why? What made you guys decide to open the doors to the people who didn't? Like you weren't voting for. You previously were aggressive critics who came up with that strategy because it works.
- [67:07]
Lara Trump
I mean, I have to give credit to my father in law. And, you know, if you think about how this country used to operate and the way our founding fathers envisioned America, it was a place where we didn't have to agree on everything, but we could have civil conversation about it. We could sit down across the table, talk about it, come up with the best of ideas. Maybe I like some of your ideas, maybe you like some of mine, but that's how this country is supposed to work. And so I think when you completely shut people off and you are unwilling to communicate with them, unwilling to hear their ideas or their side of things, it is completely un American. And it, and it really is so bad for our country. And so look, I think, you know, my, my father in law is a person who, yes, he's a Republican, but he's willing to work with everyone. He just had John Fetterman at Mar a Lago, you know what I mean? Like, he wants the best for this country. And so if that means sitting down with someone, even though they may not have but a couple of ideas similar, that's a good thing. We're all gonna reap the benefits from that. Because you know what? More ideas are better. More conversation about those ideas is better for all of us. And obviously it put us in a really great place. Obviously, a lot of people who maybe wouldn't have taken a second look at Donald Trump said, wait a minute, he's got RFK Jr on board. And that could be kind of a cool combination. And here we are today. So it works and it's smart and it's how this country should be operating. And I hope we see more of that. That's what the people of this country deserve. That's what we want. That's how this country was founded and it's supposed to operate.
- [68:46]
Jillian Michaels
Well, it's clear you played a role in that, and I for one, am grateful. I want to commend you on the job you've done, the woman you are, the way you ran this campaign and the rnc. Really, I have no reason to wax poetic. This is totally genuine. I couldn't have been bigger critics of your. Bigger critic of your father in law. And, you know, by association, your family and I have been won over. Not that it matters, but I'm just being. I'm doing a mea culpa. It's all the truth. And I want you to know how much I respect that. And you and your family and appreciate you taking the time to continue reaching out to people when my previous party did not. Not only did they not reach out, they ejected those of us that raised the flag about all the different things we've talked about over the course of this interview. So thank you so much. And one more time, where can we get everything? Your podcast, your clothing line, everything. Where can we get it all?
- [69:56]
Lara Trump
It's all@laratrump.com l a r a trump.com you can find it there. And thank you. Thanks for having me on. I love it. I think we will. Let's all continue talking. This is going to be, I believe, a great four years. And I appreciate you saying that. I always am of the opinion that if you're on the team now, you're on the team now. You didn't have to be on the team forever. That's okay with me. But welcome over. We love to see it and I love that you're willing to say that because a lot of people wouldn't. So thank you, Jillian. I really appreciate it.
- [70:31]
Jillian Michaels
Thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed the podcast, please, like, comment, subscribe and share and make sure to let me know what guests you want to see on in the future.