Lara Trump Slammed After She Declares RNC Will ‘Physically Handle Ballots’ in 2024 Election

Lara Trump, former president Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and the recently elected Republican National Committee's co-chair, proudly proclaimed that she has trained “people who can physically handle the ballots” in a recent interview, inviting critique from many social media users. The former television producer explained to Newsmax host Eric Bolling how the RNC would send 100,000 trained volunteers and lawyers to polling places, raising questions about election integrity, Raw Story reported.

“We now have the ability at the RNC not just to have poll watchers, people standing in polling locations, but people who can physically handle the ballots,” Lara said. Lara's exact words are unclear, but poll watchers—usually chosen by both political parties to keep an eye on voter turnout and election administration—may report problems or anomalies to election officials, but they are strictly forbidden from meddling in any way with the electoral process.

Prominent social media analysts took to X, formerly Twitter, describing Lara's ominous announcement as a public demonstration of deliberate "election interference" and described it as "frightening." A user slammed Lara, saying, “Somebody tell me she’s not confessing to a coordinated plot to steal the election.” Another user mocked Lara and said, “Low IQ, low rent, plastic Eva Braun here thinks they can send people to touch our ballots.”

Another user took a jab at the Trump family, suggesting, “The daughter-in-law of the guy who attempted mass voter fraud and tried to subvert democracy, she now co-chairs the RNC and says they've hired people who are working counting ballots. What could possibly go wrong here?” Another user attacked, “MAGA is training voting intimidators.”

Historian and specialist on authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat attacked Lara and the RNC, asking, “What does this mean, they will have thugs to physically take the ballots to make sure they are marked for Republican candidates? Sounds like a perfect authoritarian election plan to me.” Leading Democratic elections lawyer Marc E. Elias responded to Lara's comments by saying, “Poll observers are NEVER permitted to touch ballots. She is suggesting the RNC will infiltrate election offices.”

Another user remarked that these comments should be taken very seriously, “Every single innuendo and accusation made by the GOP needs to be viewed as broadcasting their intent and treated as a fair warning they intend to do the very thing they’re accusing Democrats of doing.” A user forewarned, “Sounds like Lara Trump is saying they want to f*ck with ballots and the election outcome. Did I hear that correctly?” Another user urged authorities to look into this, “I think this is a flashing red light that needs to be investigated immediately.”

During the same interview, Lara repeated her father-in-law's and his allies' unfounded allegations of voter fraud in 2020 and called 2024 “the most important election of our lifetimes.” Given that Donald Trump was identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Michigan scheme to send bogus electors to the Electoral College, Lara's remarks are particularly alarming, Salon reported.