During his remarks, Donald Trump addressed North Carolina’s crime rates and the state’s response to Hurricane Helene in 2024 before bringing up Lara Trump.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump floated the idea on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, should run for a North Carolina Senate seat during a campaign swing in the state to boost Republican Michael Whatley’s bid.
Trump was addressing a crowd about North Carolina’s crime rate and the response to Hurricane Helene when Lara Trump’s name came up.
“Lara Trump,” he said, noting that Lara and Whatley previously worked together at the Republican National Committee. “I said, ‘Lara, you gotta get… she loves this state, she was born here. But what a team, those two were the best.'”
“Wednesday’s meeting in North Carolina was Trump’s first major campaign event since the RNC’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, signaling the state’s importance to GOP strategists.
Whatley is set to face a difficult campaign against an embattled but popular Democratic incumbent as the ex-RNC chair seeks to replace Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking a third term following a very public falling out with Trump that left him isolated within the party.
While Trump retains a powerful hold on the GOP base, Whatley will have to win over North Carolina’s swing voters and sizable chunk of unaffiliated voters. Former President Trump highlighted this challenge in his acceptance speech last week at the RNC when he urged GOP voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot,” despite not seeking office.
Lara Trump’s Past Brush with a Senate Bid
This is far from the first time Lara Trump has been mentioned as a potential Senate candidate.
In 2024, she withdrew from consideration for the Florida Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio after he became Secretary of State.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote in an X post at the time.
The North Carolina race promises to be one of the most closely watched midterm contests.
According to a recent Elon University poll, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper leads his opponent Whatley 49% to 38%, with 54% of North Carolina voters expressing disapproval of Trump’s performance compared to 31% who approve.
These results align with recent national polling, including a Reuters/Ipsos survey from last week that found Trump’s approval rating at 35%—up slightly from a record low of 33%. Meanwhile, Democrats maintain a 44% to 37% generic congressional lead over Republicans, their largest gap since Trump was re-elected in January 2025.”