Lara Trump’s New Book Builds on President Trump’s ‘Never Give Up’ Theme

“Never Give Up” is a theme that the former president and his family emphasize; that phrase also now appears in the titles of two Trump-authored books.
Lara Trump’s New Book Builds on President Trump’s ‘Never Give Up’ Theme
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, shows off her new children's book, "The Never-Give-Up Pup" in February 2024. Courtesy of Brave Books via Amplifi Agency
Janice Hisle
Updated:

Lara Trump is best known as the former First Daughter-in-Law and as the new co-chair of the Republican National Committee. But her role as a mother of two and an important lesson from her childhood—in addition to her admiration for former President Donald Trump—inspired her to become an author.

She has recently released a book that teaches children the value of hard work and perseverance.

“I feel I’m like a lot of parents in that I am always looking for ways to teach them, to help them grow,” Ms. Trump, 41, told The Epoch Times. “But it feels like it’s so much harder to teach kids good lessons and good morals these days.”

She cited the pervasive influence of electronic media, slanted school curricula, and other aspects of modern life.

Ms. Trump said she partnered with Brave Books “because that is a safe place ... where parents, grandparents can send their kids.”  Brave Books is a Texas-based Christian publisher specializing in “pro-God, pro-America” books, its website states.
Her book, “The Never-Give-Up Pup,” was published in February this year. It’s a story of working hard to overcome obstacles to reach a goal.
The title of Ms. Trump’s work includes a phrase that hearkens back to the 2008 book “Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success” by Donald J. Trump, with co-author Meredith McIver.

In that book, the future president said he wanted to help others by sharing his “biggest challenges, lowest moments, and toughest fights” as a New York real-estate magnate. His highs and lows—and his commitment to the “never-give-up” mantra—would reach new dimensions after he sought the nation’s highest office.

“Never, ever give up,” the president-elect urged rallygoers in Mobile, Alabama, in December 2016, after he rose above 16 GOP contenders and Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency.

After leaving office in the wake of the disputed 2020 election, President Trump is now running for a third time. He’s trying to unseat Democrat President Joe Biden while mired in court cases that threaten his business empire, his fortune, and his freedom.

Talking about the connection between her book’s title and the former president’s credo, Ms. Trump said: “You can look directly at Donald Trump as the great example of never giving up, of hard work, of doing your best.

“I don’t think there’s any other human being on the planet who could have gone through the trials and tribulations that he has and still be in this fight—and still not just be fighting, but be fighting because he’s winning.”

Seven years before he began his successful first run for president, Donald J. Trump authored this 2008 book, "Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success." (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times)
Seven years before he began his successful first run for president, Donald J. Trump authored this 2008 book, "Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success." Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times
After initially facing 14 contenders for the 2024 nomination, President Trump earned enough delegates to become the presumptive Republican nominee for president, expected to be made official at the party’s convention in July.

“You know, that’s incredible,” his daughter-in-law said. “He’s an inspirational figure to a lot of people.”

That includes herself, in addition to his five children, and 10 grandchildren.

The “never-give-up” attitude that President Trump embodies can be applied to virtually all aspirations, starting with modest ones in childhood, Ms. Trump said.

For example, Ms. Trump said her book’s storyline is loosely based upon one of her early setbacks in life. While growing up in North Carolina, her first tryout for the junior varsity cheerleading squad failed.

“I got cut, and I was absolutely devastated,” she said. “And my dad was the one who said, ‘Listen, you’ve just got to work harder. ... You can practice all the skills that you need, and then you’re going to go and really be prepared for next year.’”

The result?

“I had worked so hard and prepared so well that I didn’t make the JV team—I made the varsity team!” she said. “It was a great life lesson for me.”

In a similar vein, the protagonist in Ms. Trump’s recent book overcomes obstacles to become a junior detective. A refrain throughout the story, interspersed with humor, is: “Work hard, do your best and don’t worry about the rest.”

The tale is told through the eyes of an inquisitive hound dog named Seymour Clues, a character that was inspired partly by the author’s three dogs, two of which are hounds.

The mother of Eric “Luke” Trump, 6, and Carolina Dorothy Trump, 4, describes herself as “a crazy dog lady.” She laughs when she says her husband frets over the day when a fourth dog might greet him as he arrives at their Florida home.

Some parents have already told Ms. Trump that, after reading the book, their kids declared: “I’m going to be like the never-give-up pup!”

This has touched Ms. Trump, who said: “What’s better as an author than to have somebody utilize your characters as a great example in real life?”

However, completing work on the 51-page book took longer than she expected. Ms. Trump began the project last summer, coordinating with illustrators and incorporating story elements that fit other books in the publisher’s series with stories occurring on the mythical “Freedom Island.”

The cover of Lara Trump's new children's book, "The Never-Give-Up Pup." (Courtesy of Brave Books via Amplifi Agency)
The cover of Lara Trump's new children's book, "The Never-Give-Up Pup." Courtesy of Brave Books via Amplifi Agency

Ms. Trump revealed that she hadn’t told President Trump about the book while it was in progress. “But, as an author himself, once he found out I had done it, he was very excited and very proud,” Ms. Trump said, noting that others in the Trump family are also authors. “I guess it’s part of being in the family.”

In sharing more about the book, she said: “Whenever we can find moments of joy and just happiness and just really positive things, we have to take those because the rest of it can get a little heavier. So, this is nice and light and fun. And very positive. And, you know, who doesn’t like dogs and a great, great moral of the story?”

Janice Hisle
Janice Hisle
Reporter
Janice Hisle reports on former President Donald Trump's campaign for the 2024 general election ballot and related issues. Before joining The Epoch Times, she worked for more than two decades as a reporter for newspapers in Ohio and authored several books. She is a graduate of Kent State University's journalism program. You can reach Janice at: [email protected]
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