The Republican National Committee (RNC) has come under fire for allegedly questioning prospective employees about their views on the 2020 presidential election during recent job interviews. Sources familiar with the matter claim that Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump and newly appointed RNC co-chair, along with some of the ex-president's top advisors, have been conducting these "unusual" interviews.
According to the Washington Post, several potential RNC employees, particularly those who had worked in key 2024 battleground states, were startled by the question about the 2020 election, viewing it as a test of their loyalty to Trump. "A group of senior Trump advisers have been in the RNC building in recent days conducting the interviews," the Post reported.
RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez denied the accusations, stating that candidates were asked about their work experience, especially those who had worked in states where fraud allegations were prevalent. "We want experienced staff with meaningful views on how elections are won and lost and real experience-based opinions about what happens in the trenches," Alvarez explained.
However, some potential employees expressed concerns that their chances of being hired could be jeopardized if they did not agree with the notion that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. GOP strategist Doug Heye told the Post that this situation highlights the "problem with Trumpism," where loyalty to the former president's claims is prioritized over other qualifications.
In a separate interview with NBC News, Lara Trump addressed the controversy surrounding the RNC's hiring practices and the party's stance on the 2020 election. She insisted that the RNC was "past" focusing on the previous presidential race and was instead concentrating on the upcoming 2024 election. "I think we're past that," she said. "I think that's in the past."
Lara Trump also clarified that the RNC does not plan to pay for Donald Trump's ongoing legal bills, stating that donors could opt-out of contributing funds for that purpose if they so choose. "Anyone who does not want to contribute to that very small amount of money is able to opt out of that," she said, referring to the joint fundraising committee that links the party and the Trump campaign.
Despite her insistence on moving past the 2020 election, Lara Trump continued to raise doubts about the results without offering evidence of widespread fraud. She claimed that there were "so many issues in that election," drawing pushback from NBC about the multiple audits and lawsuits that ultimately found the results to be legitimate.
When asked how Republican voters would trust the results of the 2024 election if Donald Trump loses and continues to cast doubt on the outcome, Lara Trump said, "I think that we're putting a lot of things in play right now at the RNC that are going to ensure that people have more trust."
Lara Trump also voiced support for early voting and vote-by-mail efforts, differing from her father-in-law's public stance against mail-in voting. She claimed that the former president would change his tune due to the RNC's election security initiatives. "I actually think if you talk to him right now, you will see that he is very much embracing early voting," she said.
As the RNC faces scrutiny over its alleged loyalty tests in job interviews and its stance on the 2020 election, Lara Trump has taken on a prominent role as co-chair. She dismissed criticisms of nepotism, saying, "I think the reason that I'm here is to assure people who ever had any question as to how their money is being spent -- can they trust the RNC? Can they donate to this entity? Trust me, I am the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump."
