Lara Trump says Americans may see a "different version" of Donald Trump in speech tonight

Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said Americans may see a "different version" of former President Donald Trump in his speech Thursday night following Saturday's assassination attempt.

"I think you may see a bit of a different version of Donald Trump tonight, perhaps a bit softer version than maybe some of the people at home have seen in the past," she said Thursday on "CBS Mornings." "And maybe that allows them to open themselves up to actually what he's saying."

Lara Trump, who is married to the former president's son Eric, said her father-in-law rewrote his speech after the shooting, as she said she did with her own remarks at the Republican National Convention earlier this week. 

"I don't think you can go through what he went through on Saturday, really a near-death experience, and not come out on the other side impacted," she said. "And he, I think, truly was impacted. And I think you will hear that in his speech tonight."

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, his son Eric told CBS News that his father doesn't have stitches, but instead suffered a "nice flesh wound" from the shooting. Lara Trump said he'll wear the bandage on his ear during his Thursday speech, and expects he will until his ear is fully healed. 

The former president is set to cap the four-day gathering with his speech Thursday night, where he will officially accept the Republican presidential nomination. 

His daughter-in-law said that in the speech, she expects that people in attendance want to hear about "the things that he did and he accomplished for the country and tell people how he's going to get them back there," after nearly four years under the Biden administration. 

She said people, who may be struggling to make ends meet or have concerns about crime, want to hear how Trump will "reverse those things" and "make life better and easier for the American people."

"He wants to tell everyone here, of course, in this crowd that, but these people are already voting for him by and large," she added. "I think he really has to talk to the people at home and make a big connection with them."

Lara Trump was featured prominently on the campaign trail for Trump and was floated as a 2022 North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate. The role as co-chair marks her first leadership position within the party. And when asked about her political ambitions on Thursday, she said she is focused "on this election right now to get my father-in-law reelected."

"And then you never know," she added. "Never say never with Trump."

Kaia Hubbard

Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

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