Lara Trump makes surprise announcement. But not the one NC was waiting on.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lara Trump announced a new single release, not a Senate campaign decision.
- North Carolina Republicans await her decision to run for Sen. Tillis' seat.
- Trump remains active in politics, music and media despite mixed public reception.
Lara Trump made an announcement this week.
But not the one North Carolinians were waiting for — on the U.S. Senate race.
Trump plans to release her fourth single, “Eyes of God” on Friday, The Telegraph reported.
The Telegraph wrote that the song, according to Trump, is meant to serve as “a reminder that we are all more alike than we are different.”
“Everyone is dealing with different highs and lows and, in the era of hiding behind a screen, we should all take a moment to give one another a little grace,” Trump told The Telegraph. “Instead of turning to a negative comment, maybe it’s time we all turn to God.”
Trump, and her team, did not respond to an email seeking comment about her new single or The Telegraph’s reporting.
She began her singing career in 2023, covering Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Despite debuting at No. 10 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales, her music has faced heavy social media backlash for using auto-tune.
Senate race
While Trump released new music, North Carolina Republicans, and Democrats, waited for the president’s daughter-in-law to make a decision about whether she will run to replace outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville.
NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Garrett Haake reported Trump, 42, told reporters at the White House last week she would make a decision about whether to run by Thanksgiving. Filing for the 2026 primary begins on Dec. 1.
But on Thursday morning, Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced his Senate run. They served together as co-chairs of the RNC.
A few hours later, she confirmed on social media she will not run in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race.
“After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,” Trump wrote. “I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from people of my home state whom I love so much.”
Currently, three other candidates are also running: former Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, retired businessman Andy Nilsson and former NAVY JAG officer Don Brown, both Republicans
Former Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to announce his run for U.S. Senate on Monday, according to multiple news outlets. His team is not commenting on the validity of those reports.
His decision to run has been speculated on for more than a year.
Tillis announced his reelection campaign late last year, but said Wednesday he and President Donald Trump had a disagreement over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The piece of legislation included many of the campaign promises President Trump made during the 2024 election.
“We’ve never really had a testy discussion,” Tillis said at an event held Wednesday morning in Washington. “It’s always been very respectful.”
But Tillis said he felt so strongly that the bill would harm North Carolina Medicaid recipients that he needed to take his campaign off the table as a potential bargaining chip.
“I thought it was a good time just to tell the president that he should start looking for a replacement,” Tillis said Wednesday.
Tillis said those interviews for a replacement began about 10 minutes later.
Lara Trump’s political career
Tillis wouldn’t comment on whether he would help Lara Trump campaign, saying Republicans need to first figure out their candidate. He does want a Republican to succeed him, as long as it’s not former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, he said Wednesday, and multiple times previously.
President Trump has said that his daughter-in-law would be his “first choice.”
Lara Trump’s candidacy has been rumored before in 2022.
She’s a native of Wilmington, attended Laney High School, and received a communication degree from N.C. State. She named her daughter, Carolina, after the state she grew up in.
In 2022, she turned down a Senate run to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr, to join Fox News as a contributor. Within a year, the network separated from Lara Trump, after her father-in-law announced his third reelection campaign.
Lara Trump is in the exact same position now, with Fox recently hiring her to host her own news show, while she also considered whether to replace Tillis.
She’s currently registered to vote in Florida, and would need to switch to North Carolina.
Her background lends itself to both careers.
She began in 2012, at “Inside Edition,” where she worked until 2016. During that time she married Eric Trump, the president’s third child.
She’s worked on her father-in-law’s campaigns and in 2024 co-chaired the Republican National Committee, with Whatley.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Lara Trump makes surprise announcement. But not the one NC was waiting on.."