As the Republican National Committee spammed phones across America on behalf of new co-chair Lara Trump, Donald Trump‘s baseless claims of a stolen election echoed through speakers.
“We all know the problems. No photo IDs, unsecured ballot drop boxes, mass mailing of ballots, and voter rolls chock full of deceased people and non-citizens are just a few examples of the massive fraud that took place,” the pre-recorded message fear-mongered. “If Democrats have their way, your vote could be canceled out by someone who isn’t even an American citizen.”
The call arrives a month since the RNC voted to install Trump’s handpicked leadership team including election denier Michael Whatley and Lara, the former president’s daughter-in-law, as chair and co-chair. As CNN, who reported the call, notes, the false claim of “massive fraud” in the 2020 election signifies a rerouting in the RNC’s messaging — prior to Trump’s takeover of the RNC, the tactic did not play a consistent part in their strategy.
The outlet estimated that the message, which was obtained by CNN’s KFile via the anti-robocall application Nomorobo, was sent to 145,000 calls from April 1 to 7. “I’m sure you agree with co-chair Trump that we cannot allow the chaos and questions of the 2020 election to ever happen again,” the RNC call further insisted.
Lara, a surrogate of her father-in-law’s campaign, publicly supported Trump’s 2016 presidential run and was hired as a consultant on his failed 2020 re-election campaign. Three days after Whatley and Lara were unanimously elected to helm the RNC, over 60 staffers were fired, according to CBS News, with Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita being among the folks seeking to reshape the RNC. Also among the committee’s new hires was Christina Bobb, an attorney who represented Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Bobb, the RNC counsel on election integrity, authored the 2023 book Stealing Your Vote: The Inside Story of the 2020 Election and What It Means for 2024.
The committee’s members are reportedly warming to the idea of paying Trump’s legal fees as he tries to fight off an array of legal trouble — including four criminal indictments. Reuters previously reported that efforts to push a resolution that the RNC will not pay candidates’ legal bills is “dead.”
