Lara Trump promises 'hopeful, inspirational and patriotic' RNC message

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump and a senior adviser to his re-election campaign, appeared in an exclusive interview on Weekend TODAY Saturday morning to say that the public can expect an "inspirational and patriotic" Republican National Convention next week.

Speaking with co-hosts Kristen Welker and Peter Alexander, Trump said that last week's Democratic National Convention, which was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, put forth a "dark, dismal and really depressing vision of America," and that the Republican National Convention will have the opposite take on the country when the GOP convenes in Charlotte, North Carolina next week.

"Ours will be hopeful and inspirational and patriotic," the 37-year-old former television producer said. "We want people at the end of our four days to be reminded that America continues to be the greatest, most exceptional nation in the world."

When asked if Joe Biden's acceptance speech put holes in President Trump's argument that he is "Sleepy Joe" as he's called him, Trump said that "it was all laid out for him" on a teleprompter.

"Their entire convention was about bashing Trump," she said, adding that the RNC will have a very different tone.

"I think you're going to be surprised by some of the things we do," Trump said. "Our president will be a part of it every night."

In response to a question about President Trump's recent quote that he is "the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy," Trump noted that the president's response to the DNC and the current situation in America is accurate.

"Democrat-run amazing cities that we have in America... these cities are being completely taken over by chaos," she said. "Sadly, the mayors of the cities are letting their citizens down. They are not protecting small businesses. They are not keeping people safe. They are letting anarchy overrun things."

"President Trump is the American dream," she added, noting that pre-coronavirus, the United States had "the greatest economy we have ever had in the history of this country."

Asked about the current economic state of the country with 13 million Americans who are still out of work, Trump answered that there has been a "sharp, almost V-shaped recovery." She said that while there is nothing wrong with Biden's plan to get the country up and running, President Trump did shut the country down and that he has followed science.

"He stopped travel coming from China at the same time Joe called it xenophobic and fear mongering," said Trump.

Alexander pointed out that Biden's comment about xenophobia came after Trump called COVID-19 "the Chinese Virus" in a tweet on March 18.

Trump explained, defending her father-in-law: "He's done an incredible job and sadly it has not been reported as such."