EXCLUSIVE: Leading the House Republican communications policy under a president like Donald Trump, who is known to frequently air his thoughts on the public stage, is likely not an easy task.
But Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the new House GOP Conference Chair, argues that the outspoken commander-in-chief makes her job easier – in part, because of his simple but ubiquitous tagline.
“If you take a look at the last election cycle, Republicans had the winning message, and it was simple, it was consistent, and it was easily repeatable, right?” McClain said. “So, ‘Make America Great.’ Make America ‘blank’ again. Make America strong again. Make America energy independent. It was simple and it was concise. And the message worked so well that it didn’t matter if you were in a [moderate or heavily Republican] district.”
“Everyone’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. They have a playbook that they can all sing from, so to speak.”
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Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., is the new No. 4 House Republican leader (Tom Williams)
McClain, now the No. 4 House GOP leader, has been in senior leadership for just over three weeks. But she’s largely shunned the solo stage that comes with the role in favor of shining that spotlight on lesser-known members of the GOP.
She has co-authored op-eds with rank-and-file lawmakers and promoted interview opportunities on issues that affect their home states. McClain told Fox News Digital that she saw her job as elevating the existing qualities that helped members of the conference win their elections.
“People want to help. They want to be engaged. They want to feel part of something. And I think my job as conference chair, I can help give them a platform,” she said.
Like Trump, she made her living in business before coming into politics. Before being elected to Congress in the 2020 races, McClain ran a 700-person financial planning company in her home state of Michigan.
Asked why she decided to run, McClain joked, “I blame it on my daughter.”
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McClain said President Trump’s messaging style makes her job easier. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“So we have Sunday dinner, and that’s kind of my time to hold court,” she recalled. “I was on my soapbox about something. And my daughter Ryan looked at me…’You can either be part of the problem or part of the solution.’ She was being sassy. ‘Why don’t you run for Congress and do something about it?’ So that kind of planted the seed.”
But since being elected, McClain said she’s carried at least one lesson over from the business world – relationships.
“We are stronger together as a team. And the more people you have on the team, the better you are,” she said.
Just this week, she and a team of House GOP leaders sat down with Trump to discuss his agenda.
Those relationships extend past her fellow lawmakers, however.
McClain will now be a regular presence at the House GOP weekly leadership press conference, alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. (Getty Images)
Her predecessor, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. – whom McClain heaped praise on during her interview – was known to operate with a tight circle and largely kept the media at arm’s length.
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But McClain is known for her open demeanor with journalists, both through informal chats on Capitol Hill and occasionally sparring with members of the media on more difficult issues.
“You want to tell a story, I also want to tell a story. So if we work together, as long as we’re fair or respectful to each other, I think we can work together to help shape that narrative on what the story is we’re trying to tell,” McClain said. “Because at the end of the day, if I don’t share my narrative with you on what’s the story we’re trying to tell, you’re going to come up with a story on your own. So why wouldn’t we work together to share that story? It just makes sense.”
