Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is headlining a growing list of party dignitaries likely to attend Saturday’s funeral here of conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly.
Relatives say that Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and former Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., also are expected. Both were “very close friends’’ with Schlafly, said daughter Anne Cori. Other expected attendees include Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus.
The mass is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End. Visitation is underway at the Kriegshauser Mortuary-West Chapel until 8 p.m. tonight.
Trump’s appearance underscores the influence of Schlafly, who founded the conservative Eagle Forum and was the leader in the successful opposition effort in the 1970s and early ‘80s to kill the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. For decades, she was a driving force in getting anti-abortion language into the national party’s platform.
Schlafly, who died Monday at 92, was arguably the most prominent state Republican to endorse Trump. She joined him on stage during his appearance in St. Louis in March.
