Lara Trump visits Medina County GOP

BRUNSWICK — Loud applause and a standing ovation were given to Lara Trump by Medina County Republican leaders as they welcomed the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump to Brunswick. Lara Trump spoke to area leaders as part of the Republican Party of Medina County's annual finance dinner, which welcomed hundreds of guests to Diamond Event Center, 1480 Pearl Road. "It's a crazy time and this fight is far from over," she told the crowd. "You'll see us back here and the next time maybe I'll bring Donald Trump with me. Really, this is a pivotal moment in the history of America. I think we all know that we're fighting for our country and the future and our children. We are not done. We're going to make America great again one day very soon." "People call Ohio a swing state but I feel like Ohio is red these days," Trump added. "It's very red here. I always heard the road to the White House goes through Ohio. Now, the road to take back the country is running through Ohio, because you represent hardworking Americans and people who feel like they're getting a very raw deal right now." Trump alluded to the 2020 U.S. presidential election multiple times and implied that former President Trump had victory taken from him illegitimately, which drew raucous cheers from the room. Every U.S. court challenge related to those claims has been struck down and multiple state vote audits have not turned up evidence that would change last year's outcome. "Things were looking good for us on Nov. 3 and we were looking up," Trump said. "Then, all of the sudden we know what happened. We know how, I don't know, dead cats were voting. Does anyone feel like ballots inside of suitcases is not a legitimate situation? We never found out about that. We know a lot of things happened in 2020. There are a ton of people out there working now to make sure it never happens again. In 2022, we're taking back the House and the Senate. Then in 2024, I'm not making an announcement on who the candidate might be, but we're sure as heck taking back the White House." Cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, U.S. southern border policy changes, violence seen upon the exit of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and ongoing supply chain issues were characterized by Trump as indictments of current U.S. leadership under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump also railed against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, critical race theory, a perceived lack of scrutiny of the Biden family compared to her own, and social media bans handed to her father-in-law. "Someone sent this to me just before I came out here," she said. "It said, how can you tell when the truth is being told? When Facebook blocks it, Twitter deletes it, Google hides it, YouTube bans it, your government forbids it, and media brands it a conspiracy theory. That's a pretty good rule of thumb." Brunswick Mayor Ron Falconi was one of many Medina County leaders spotted in Wednesday's crowd. "It seems to be that people here in Ohio and especially here in Medina County are very energized to support the Republican ticket again," he said after the speech. "We're hopeful that Donald Trump is going to be the nominee, as I'm sure he will be. We're very excited about that. I can't even really picture anyone else running. I don't think there's another Republican on the national level who can challenge Trump for the nomination." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.