Fox News contributor and Trump campaign spokeswoman Lara Trump was quick to refute a claim from Fox Business host Stuart Varney that her father-in-law—former Republican President Donald Trump—has lost "the old magic" after making a presidential bid announcement that was criticized for being rather "low energy" by politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Lara Trump—the wife of the former President's son Eric Trump—immediately went into damage control mode, telling Varney that Donald Trump still has the same energy he displayed on the campaign trail ahead of the 2016 general election.
She said she "highly disagreed" with Varney's take on a news network that has typically been criticized for its often deferential attitude toward and fawning coverage of the former President.
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
\u201cVARNEY: It didn't seem that Trump had the old magic, you know what I mean?\n\nLARA TRUMP: Oh. Well I highly disagree with that.\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1668615805
Varney said:
“I have to say, there wasn’t a great reception to the speech last night. Those of us on the outside looking at it, it didn’t seem that he got the old magic, you know what I mean?"
To that, Lara Trump replied:
"Oh, well I highly disagree with that. Look, for Donald Trump from the very beginning, from the first day he came down the escalator in 2015, in Trump Tower it's never been about elected officials, politicians, people in the swamp in D.C."
"It's been about the American people and if you look around the room last night, you had people there from all walks of life."
"The energy there at Mar-a-Lago was absolutely incredible. It really did to me feel like the 2015, 2016 campaign all over again."
Later, when asked whether people will come out and vote for Trump in 2024, Lara Trump said that people "know how good it was with Trump in office."
She assured Varney that even those who "dislike his tweets and personality" can envision "a better trajectory for their lives."
\u201c"They know how good it was with Trump in office" -- Lara Trump (that certainly explains the 2020 results ... )\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1668615805
But her decision to defend Trump rang hollow and garnered immediate criticism online.
\u201c#Karma hits the corrupt #Losers the hardest.\nLara Trump will be sorry she took on the task of propping up and three time pathetic loser habitual embarrassment & liar.\u201d— Jaime (@Jaime) 1668643322
\u201cIt was BORING. He\u2019s a LIAR. No energy.\u201d— John Fleming (@John Fleming) 1668637469
\u201cAnd this is why it's unwise to book presidential candidate's daughters-in-law for political commentary.\u201d— Kate Brannen (@Kate Brannen) 1668620901
\u201cIts about the American people?? From the few minutes I watched...all I heard was I, I, I, me, me, me. Trump is a narcissistic, traitor & shud be in prison!\u201d— Kelly \ud83d\udc52 (@Kelly \ud83d\udc52) 1668621497
\u201cWhat the heck else would she say?\u201d— Matt Gad (@Matt Gad) 1668621735
\u201cBahahaha bahahaha bahahaha they taught her to lie well\u201d— Sheryl Post (@Sheryl Post) 1668626476
\u201c"The size of my husband's trust fund depends largely on me disagreeing with that."\u201d— dr. emigre80 (@dr. emigre80) 1668628331
\u201cHahaha!!! The next few years of inter-fighting of Fox News pundits between the Trump and DeSantis wing is gonna be quite funny.\u201d— M3Writer (@M3Writer) 1668636310
Trump's announcement—which he delivered at his Mar-a-Lago resort club—lasted more than an hour and was described as "incredibly low energy" by ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl.
The speech—which was riddled with outright falsehoods and inaccuracies—apparently bored much of his audience, including people who tried to leave but were blocked by security guards who were perhaps concerned that the ballroom would empty out before Trump had finished.
The New York Times this week reported that Trump's announcement—which has been largely discouraged by GOP insiders who have urged senior leadership to break from Trump following the GOP's disappointing midterm election performance—is largely an attempt to "inject uncertainty" into ongoing Justice Department investigations into his alleged criminality.
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