Lara Trump Draws Fire For Saying Federal Workers Need To ‘Sacrifice’

Jan. 23--Lara Trump, the wife of the president's second son, Eric, was blasted on social media for telling federal workers in an interview that they should feel good about the "sacrifice" they are making by not getting paid during the government shutdown.

Accusations poured in on Twitter that Lara Trump -- who also is an adviser and spokeswoman for President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign -- is a rich, privileged socialite who can't understand what it's like to not be able to pay a mortgage, a child's college tuition or health care costs.

"Listen, this is, it's not fair to you, and we all get that, but this is so much bigger than any one person," Lara Trump told Bold TV when asked what she'd say to those missing paychecks because of the shutdown, Newsweek reported.

About 800,000 federal employees have been affected by the partial government shutdown, as President Trump demands $5 billion in funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Some 380,000 are furloughed without pay and 420,000 are working without pay, with these employees set to miss their second paycheck Friday as the shutdown drags into its second month.

Lara Trump characterized workers as going through "a little bit of pain" but said the pain is "for the future of our country and their children and their grandchildren." She insisted that "generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice right now."

Lara Trump also said "she knows it's hard" because people "have bills to pay." But she claimed that her father-in-law is "trying every single day to come up with a good solution" to "our immigration problem."

"So, I would just tell them please stay strong," she added before blaming Democrats for refusing to support the president's demand for border wall funding. "It's gonna last as long as these Democrats keep playing politics."

She also asserted that Trump has the support of the American people.

However, a new CBS News poll shows that 66 percent of U.S. adults want Trump to agree to government spending without wall funding. Only 31 percent said he should continue the fight, and 6 in every 10 think the shutdown is causing serious problems for the country.

And while President Trump has insisted that federal workers are happy to forgo paychecks to support his fight for a border wall, a recent survey by the Government Business Council and GovExec.com found that 7 in every 10 employees were against a shutdown and only about 30 percent support a wall, Newsweek reported.

The president and the Senate have rejected multiple bills passed by Democrats in the House to reopen the government and begin paying federal workers again.

Reactions to Lara Trump's comments were swift on Twitter, and they were overwhelmingly negative. Many pointed out that her wealth means she will never have to worry about paying for housing, or her children's meals, with a few making Marie Antoinette comparisons and calling this her "let them eat cake" moment.

The Senate is set to vote this week on Trump's proposal to reopen the government, which includes $5.7 billion for wall construction, as well as temporary protections for certain immigrant groups, the Hill reported.

The Senate also will vote on a measure that would fund the government into February. But neither measure is expected to receive the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, raising the prospect that the shutdown will continue into February.

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