Who Is Lara Trump? 8 Facts About Eric Trump's Wife

From Cosmopolitan

On August 1, Buzzfeed called attention to the fact that Lara Trump had begun hosting a Facebook video broadcast for her father-in-law Donald Trump. In the first video, promoted as "REAL news," Lara congratulates Trump on "all the accomplishments" from the week.

Lara, who is married to Trump's middle son Eric Trump, became a popular presence on the campaign trail, but the 34-year-old former television producer has risen in prominence as other members of the Trump circle have gotten caught up in scandal. Here's what you need to know about Lara Trump:

1. She is extremely loyal to her father-in-law.

And, by extension, the rest of the Trump family. She stumped during the 2016 campaign, telling The Fayetteville Observer that she supported Trump "100 percent." She is often dispatched to appeal to female voters and Southern voters. Kellyanne Conway praised Lara's commitment: "I never knew her to say no a single time. 'Can you work the phones for fundraising?' 'Can we send you and your colleagues in Women for Trump to the four following states?' 'Will you sit on a bus for hours?' Lara never said no."

Lara frequently appears on Fox News to defend the president and his family and to attack their critics. She openly expresses love for her father-in-law on social media. In an interview with Hello!, she gushed about Trump. "He is a man who, first and foremost, loves his family. He is a wonderful storyteller and loves large family dinners. We have such great times together and laugh a lot. He is gracious with his time and has a tremendous heart. He is an incredibly loyal person and never forgets those who are loyal to him. I feel very lucky to have a man like Donald Trump as my father-in-law."

2. She is actively involved in Trump's re-election campaign.

In March, Lara was installed as a senior consultant at Giles-Parscale, a Texas-based marketing company that has been in business with the Trumps since 2011 and has been working on the Trump re-election campaign.

She has been speaking at events in West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina and is coordinating with the RNC to work on the 2018 midterm elections in addition to the 2020 election. McClatchy called her "the face of Donald Trump's 2020 campaign."

3. She has a background in television.

After attending North Carolina State University and graduating in 2005 with a degree in communication media, Lara interned at local TV stations in North Carolina. According to her LinkedIn profile, in 2012, Lara got a job as a story coordinator at CBS' Inside Edition, and was promoted to associate producer in 2013. She remained in the role until 2016, when she left to join the campaign full-time.

4. She grew up in North Carolina.

Lara's father, Robert Yunaska, built boats, and Lara's parents still live in her hometown of Wrightsville Beach, in a house that overlooks the water. She played sports (she's still an active equestrian and marathoner) and wanted to pursue a career as a sportscaster, according to McClatchy. Lara plays up her North Carolina roots when campaigning. According to The News & Observer, she told RNC delegates, "I bring a lot of 'y'all' up to New York with me." She said that North Carolina "is still the place I call home. My family still lives there, most of my friends still live there."

5. She dabbled in cake baking.

Lara moved to New York to study pastry making at the French Culinary Institute and, for a little over a year, had a fondant-forward cake business called Lara Lea Confections. According to a Gawker post from 2010, Lara baked a birthday cake for Eric that had an AK-47 on it.

She also said she enjoyed cooking, telling the Wrightsville Beach Magazine in 2007 that it was "a great way to use my creative side."

6. She's been with Eric Trump for nine years.

Lara told StarNews that their meet-cute wasn't very romantic. "We just happened to be out in the same place at the same time in New York," she said.

"I'm a girl from North Carolina who really has no business even being involved with this family," she told StarNews. "But I just so happened to fall in love with a guy, we clicked and it worked."

Lara and Eric were married at Mar-a-Lago in November 2014. She had broken her wrists in a riding accident just weeks before the wedding, and wore fingerless gloves to cover her bandages during the reception.

She once served on the board of the Eric Trump Foundation, which supported the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In June, Forbes reported that the organization had given money to groups with Trump ties, and the attorney general of New York said that his office was looking into the matter. Forbes later found that Eric and Lara, along with other members of the Trump Organization, had left the board of the Eric Trump Foundation, now called Curetivity.

7. She advocates for rescue dogs.

Lara has been an animal rights activist for years, and she and Eric have two beagle rescues, Charlie and Ben. She has said that she is trying to convince both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to adopt a rescue.

Politico reported that Lara supports an organization called the Beagle Freedom Project. Lara said in a statement that "I hope to make a positive impact on a cause so close to my heart and will continue to use my voice to spread awareness and encourage people to adopt from shelters."

8. She is expecting her first child in September.

Lara and Eric announced that she was pregnant with a boy in March. The couple revealed that Trump spilled the news about his ninth grandchild before they were ready to reveal it themselves. They said on Fox News they're considering Eric Trump Jr. as one of the names for their son.

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