The Lady in Red Podcast: MaryAnn Riley’s Legacy, Leadership, and Admiration for President Trump

Step into the world of MaryAnn Riley in "The Lady in Red Podcast," where we celebrate her extraordinary life of service, leadership, and unwavering conservative values. In this special episode, MaryAnn shares her deep admiration for President Donald Trump, reflecting on his resilience, dedication to American values, and unshakable commitment to putting the country first. With candid discussions and heartfelt stories, MaryAnn reveals how President Trump’s leadership has inspired her own journey and strengthened her mission to make a difference.

Through her reflections, listeners gain a deeper understanding of MaryAnn’s lifelong dedication to faith, perseverance, and service, and how she continues to inspire the next generation of conservative leaders. Learn more about her powerful book, The Lady in Red: Inspiring a New Generation, and discover her heartfelt vision for the future.

Visit www.ladyinredusa.com to purchase your exclusive digital copy with bonus content, and join the movement to honor MaryAnn’s legacy of leadership and values. Don’t miss this inspiring episode filled with wisdom, gratitude, and admiration for true leadership.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) This call is being recorded. Can you hear Jack? Yeah, hi, Jack. How you doing? Happy New Year to you, darling. Happy New Year. How are you doing? Just a minute, I want to turn my... I was listening to the mess from Rome. Okay, go ahead. So, we are drafting a letter from you to President Trump to go along with this book that you're sending him. And I wanted to read it to you and see if there are any changes you want to make to it. Okay. Okay, so let me start. It says, Dear Mr. Trump, I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. My name is Mary Ann Riley, and I have recently authored a book titled The Lady in Red, Inspiring the Next Generation. It is with great pleasure that I enclose a copy for you. In this book, I share my journey dedicated to community service, conservative values, and leadership. A significant portion is devoted to expressing my deep respect and admiration for your unwavering commitment to our nation. Your resilience, steadfast in upholding American ideals, and determination to challenge the status quo has been a profound source of inspiration for me and countless others. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your efforts in making America great. Your leadership has reunited a sense of patriotism and pride across the country. And I am confident that the principles you have championed will continue to guide us toward a prosperous future. Thank you once again for your service to our nation. I hope you find value in the insights shared in The Lady in Red. Warm regards, Mary Ann Riley. Oh, thank you. That's very, very good. I love it. You love it? I love it. I do. Very concise and very truthful. I said, this man is my hero. He really is, as far as keeping me going and inspiring me. You know, I've known Donald for over 10 years now. And when I first met him in New Orleans, we were at a luncheon. And at that time, I asked him, I said, are you going to run for president? Maybe I told you this. And he said, no. He said, the country is not ready for me yet. And I said, well, when you're ready, I'm going to be the first one on your campaign. And I said, I'm going to be with you all the way. And then that's when, of course, many years later that he gave me the, I met him again in Florence and all of that too. And so I've kept up kind of a little running comment with him and all that. And I've gotten a couple notes from him that too. And I just feel that he has really been an inspiration to me. There's very few people that have really given me a lot of support and inspiration. And I think that he is probably one of them. And I was just kind of, I remember not too long ago when I said he was my rock and my hero. And so these are some of the things that I think that he has a way of bringing people together in an unusual way. And I was just reading that more Bibles were purchased this year than have done in decades. Does that tell you something? What has awakened the people of our country? It has to be him. That he's gone out there and he uses the word God. And he's not afraid to use the word God. And I think especially after he had been shot at and injured, that it brought it even closer to him to bring the inspiration there that someone higher up is guiding him along the way. And Eric, truly, I think that God has kept me awake. They gave me 22 days in June for it to be alive. And yet here I am going into 2025 and I'm still here. There must be something that my job is not done yet. And neither is his. And this is what I told him. I said, you had a job to do to become president and my job was to help you. And now we have accomplished that much. And then I just feel that whatever my time is, I'm okay with it. Because I feel that I've had some kind of an influence here in Spartanburg in helping him to become president. And I just feel that there's a lot going on in my life and there is in his. And he's a very, very busy person. But the time will come that our people will soon understand exactly what he was trying to do. Just as you and Jack have tried to spread the word around that you two have a lot going on in your lives. And you're doing so much. And if I can only help you two to accomplish what you want to do with the little things that I can even donate or do whatever. I physically can't do a lot of things anymore. But maybe I've got enough quote unquote junk stuff or whatever you want to call it, treasures that other people can use. And this is what I want to do. Well, Ms. Marianne, I want to tell you a little secret. This letter that, let me take this picture. This letter is being put on a box of letterheads that you had donated and had in your possession. When you gave a box for me, I found a box of these letterheads. And I am typing this letter to Donald Trump on an original box of these letterheads that I got from your storage. And I was telling Jack the significance of that. It's not about the letterhead. It's about that you sought to get this. This letterhead is probably 20, 30 years old. And I'm sending you a picture of it. And that's what I'm going to print this letter on. It's going to go in the envelope to send to Mr. Trump. That came from your original storage in a box you had allocated for me to pick up for you. Oh, as I say, Anita did a lot of that stuff. And I don't have a quote sometimes on some of the things she said. I said, you decide who it needs to go to. And I said, these are some of the things that, you know, you have to sometimes part with the worldly things when you get ready, when you think you're going to go and meet your Heavenly Father. And you won't need all these things, but somebody else may. And I did a lot of that within the last six months. You got a lot. Pregnancy Center got some. North Carolina got some. Blue Star Mothers got some. The Animal Shelter got some. Foster Care got some. The adults got some. And the Angel Tree got some. And et cetera, et cetera. You know, I belong to a lot of organizations at one time. And they each have a very dear heart to me. You know, I was president of a cancer association here for so many years. And in fact, I hired the one that's in there right now. This has been the director there for many years. And she's done an excellent job with the Cancer Association. Foster Care Review Board I sat on for 18 years. And saw a lot of these children grow up, and I still keep in contact with a lot of them. As a teacher and all that too. So, as I say, my world has been, you know, the song I want played at my funeral is The Wind Beneath My Wings. And these are the people that have supported me all these years. They've provided the wind beneath my wings so that I can soar. And many of the awards that I've gotten, I didn't really do that alone. But it was through all my friends and family that gave me this opportunity to do these things. Now, going to the inauguration, I don't know. That's only a matter of 20 days away. And I don't know if I'm going to be healthy enough to go at this particular time. This is my dream. But only God knows whether I'm going to make it or not. But if he chooses that I'm not well enough to go, that's fine with me too. There may be, I just got a note from one of the girls that we're staying with when we go up there. And she says she's looking forward to having her quote unquote sisters to be with us again. We haven't been there in eight years. So, this is a historical time in our lives. And so, we have to look forward. And you and Jack have done so much for the community down there. And I only wish I was well enough to help you. To be in the service and volunteer the things that I would love to do down there. Because you do things that I wouldn't want to do. But God is sound bound that I'm not quite ready for that yet. Your encouragement, I understand that the power of your encouragement and support has gave me and Jack the strength and determination to carry on. You have just been a beacon for us. And you have done more than enough to keep us strong and keep us in the faith of achieving our mission for the community and the next generation. And we are inspired every time I speak with you. And that's why it's so important for us to record these conversations. Because your words are so powerful. And you know why your words are so powerful? Because your actions are so powerful. You are my example. And I tell people that I'm trying to live by an example of not words, but deeds. And let my deeds speak for me. Not my mouth. And so, you have been that example for me. Your deeds you've done over the years. Your interaction with us and always been supportive, whether we were doing our veterans events or whether we're doing something with our art program or anything that we are trying to do. Just your words of encouragement is more powerful than any financial resource. And so, I want to not only thank you, and I want to close with a prayer. I would love it. And I will start this prayer by saying, Heavenly Father, we come to you in gratitude for the conversation shared today. Thank you for your wisdom, passion, and dedication that Mary Ann continues to show in her life and in her words. We are grateful for her ability to connect with others and share unwavering faith. Her journey, her heartfelt support for our leaders who inspire positive change. Lord, we ask for your continued guidance and blessing over Mary Ann as she moves forward with her mission to inspire the next generation. May her story and her work be a beacon of hope and encouragement to all who encounter it. Strengthen her resolve, give her wisdom in her efforts, and may her legacy continue to honor you and uplift her community. Bless all those she impacts with her words, her life, and her example. May her conversations and connections like this one continue to plant seeds of understanding, unity, and shared purpose. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. That was beautiful. Thank you for all of the inspiration here. This gives me hope and fills my heart with the Holy Spirit right now. These are some of the things that sometimes, you know, I get a little down here thinking that I can't do the things I once did. But then again, I have to stop and think I don't have money, I don't have things. But if I can do some of the things that I've collected through the years and all this other, just talk with people and encourage them to do their best. Now the best doesn't always mean that you have to be top-notch. The best might be that you were maybe the lowest person in the class, but you've just done your best and you've done your best. That's all I ask for. You know, and this is so many of the times we look at people, Eric, that are not maybe the brightest star in the sky or the brightest lamp in the room. But they have so much to offer in other ways. And these are the ones that are often forgotten or overlooked. And yet they have a lot to contribute. So finances, yes, we all need them. But sometimes finances have to go to the wise side when we can use that extra hand. They may be able to do the ones that'll carry the boxes from the truck to the house or do the lifting, help rearrange and all these other things. The physical type of things. So I mean, these are things we have to look at. Each person has a positive, but sometimes we always look at the negatives. Amen. And I said, I think that this is part of our problem with our country right now. They're trying to divide us either by color or sex or religion or anything else that they can do to divide us. And we've got to look past that. We've got to look past getting together. And I think that this is what's happening right now. We're starting to gather together. But there's still some holdouts. You know how that goes. There's always those that want that last little thing to say and say, okay, we're going to do it. But you and Jack have been a great inspiration for me, for your community and all this other. I just hope that I can continue to help you for a little while longer. You have done a fantastic job. So God bless you both. God bless you. And may you have a fantastic 2025. Yes, ma'am. And Happy New Year to you. And I will send you a copy and to Wayne for his hard work as well. So I will email you a copy of this as I make it into a PDF. And I want to send it out today. So I'll send you that. And then me and Jack will also be sending you about those other copies that you inquired about. And so once I publish this recording to your podcast, I'll also send you a copy, a link to that so you can hear that. Okay, that sounds good. You just take care of yourselves then, okay? Yes, ma'am. And God bless you. And take good care of your families then, okay? Yes, ma'am. Happy New Year to you, Jack. Take care now. Love you both. Love you both.