Newly minted RNC chair Lara Trump says they've got lawsuits cooking in 81 states. There are 50 states.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
- Lara Trump says the RNC has been working hard to tackle voter fraud ahead of the upcoming elections.
- "We have lawsuits in 81 states right now," Lara told Newsmax on Tuesday.
- The gaffe drew multiple jokes from social media as well as from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Lara Trump may have had a little slip-up when announcing the Republican National Committee's approach to tackling voter fraud.
The newly elected RNC cochair — who's married to former President Donald Trump's son, Eric — said in a Newsmax interview on Tuesday that the RNC has engaged poll watchers and lawyers to oversee and monitor the upcoming elections.
"So in addition to these poll workers, we're gonna have lawyers in all the major polling locations across the country," she told Newsmax host Eric Bolling.
During the interview, she also referenced the lawsuits the RNC has filed, questioning election integrity. Last month, the RNC filed a lawsuit against Michigan's secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, claiming that the state's voter rolls are inflated.
"We have lawsuits in 81 states right now," Trump told Bolling.
The US, however, only has 50 states.
RNC co-Chair Lara Trump: We have lawsuits in 81 states right now pic.twitter.com/3vZ8mRYvgE
— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) April 24, 2024
Trump's gaffe prompted multiple jokes on social media, with some even throwing out comical explanations for how the US may actually have an additional 31 states no one knows about yet.
"Maybe there are 81 states in the future and she's a time traveler," an X user named Mike Freeman said in a post.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't resist mocking Lara Trump either when he referenced the moment in his monologue on Wednesday night.
"In 81 states! Not just Tennessee, eleven-essee, twelve-essee. West Dakota, South Virginia. Indiana, Out-diana, you name it, they're suing," Kimmel joked.
This isn't the first time the new RNC chair has been criticized for her remarks.
Earlier in April, she also claimed on Newsmax that no other president has been treated as badly as Donald Trump.
The former TV news producer was elected cochair of the RNC in March, along with former North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley. She received a glowing endorsement from Donald Trump, who tapped her for the position.
"Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for," the former president said of his "very talented daughter-in-law" in February.
That hasn't stopped Lara Trump's critics from slamming her. Last week, she fired back when a viewer questioned her intellect on her podcast, "The Right View with Lara Trump."
"Nothing stupid over here, I've done my research," Lara said.