President Donald Trump has officially announced his endorsement of Michael Whatley, the current Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, to succeed Ronna McDaniel as the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
In addition to Whatley, Trump has also thrown his support behind his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, endorsing her for the role of co-chairwoman at the RNC.
Alongside these endorsements, Trump has nominated Chris LaCivita, his co-campaign manager, to take on the role of RNC chief operating officer, though LaCivita is expected to continue in his current role simultaneously.
These endorsements come at a critical juncture for the RNC as it prepares for the 2024 Presidential race. Trump’s support is anticipated to significantly influence the committee’s direction and bolster his control over the Party apparatus.
In a statement released today, President Trump emphasized the importance of the RNC in the upcoming Presidential election, outlining the need for a “flawless” partnership to secure transparent elections and robust voter turnout.
His statement reads:
The RNC MUST be a good partner in the Presidential election. It must do the work we expect from the national Party and do it flawlessly. That means helping to ensure fair and transparent elections across the country, getting out the vote everywhere – even in parts of the country where it won’t be easy – and working with my campaign, as the Republican presumptive nominee for President, to win this election and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
For these reasons, I think my friend Michael Whatley should be the RNC’s next leader. Michael has been with me from the beginning, has done a great job in his home state of North Carolina, and is committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our election so it can’t be stolen.
My very talented daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has agreed to run as the RNC Co-Chair. Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for. She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!
I have also asked Chris LaCivita, in whom I have full confidence, to assume the role of, in effect, Chief Operating Officer of the Committee. Chris will manage the RNC’s day-to-day operations so it will become a fighting machine for 2024 and use all the tools available to win for the American people.
This group of three is highly talented, battle-tested, and smart. They have my complete and total endorsement to lead the Republican National Committee.
This high-profile endorsement follows reports of tensions between Trump and the current RNC Chair, Ronna McDaniel. CNN has reported that Trump and his advisers were not satisfied with McDaniel’s leadership, leading to a push for her resignation.
McDaniel reportedly met with Trump for two hours at Mar-a-Lago just days after the RNC’s annual winter meeting, where she offered to step down after the South Carolina primary to make way for Trump’s preferred leadership.
Since Ronna Romney McDaniel assumed leadership of the GOP in 2017, the party’s grip on power has seemingly loosened. Under her watch, Republicans have experienced a series of electoral setbacks, losing eight gubernatorial races, three Senate seats, 19 House seats, and a presidential race.
The Gateway Pundit reported on Saturday that the RNC is looking at opening a credit line to help pay the bills and compensate for dismal recent fundraising levels.
It can be recalled that donations to the feckless Republican Party reached an 8-year low under Ronna McDaniel.
An in-depth investigation by RedState has revealed concerning details about the spending habits of the Republican National Committee (RNC) under the leadership of chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, highlighting a troubling pattern of expenditure on non-essential items.
This report comes over a year after the initial exposé that revealed millions in donor funds being allocated to luxury items and high-end entertainment.
The latest financial scrutiny, drawing from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records, compares the RNC’s spending to that of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from October 20, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The results display a stark contrast in financial priorities between the two parties.
Here’s a breakdown of the spending categories between the RNC and the DNC:
Floral Arrangements:
- RNC: $70,328.00
- DNC: $795
Consultants:
- RNC: $1,078,279.47
- DNC: $114,000
Office Supplies:
- RNC: $297,717.64
- DNC: $45,005
Limousines:
- RNC: $263,127.25
- DNC: $7,000
Voter File Maintenance:
- RNC: $39,233.50
- DNC: $235,865.88
GOTV Texts:
- RNC: $86,019
- DNC: $1,676,923.29
State Outlays:
- RNC: $13,800,200
- DNC: $23,835,437
The organization has outspent the DNC in areas such as floral arrangements, consultants, office supplies, and limousines.
The DNC has channeled significantly more funds into key areas like voter file maintenance, GOTV (Get Out The Vote) texting campaigns, and state party support, which are traditionally vital for election success.
On the heels of this political maneuvering, The New York Times has reported that Ronna McDaniel is set to resign following the South Carolina GOP primary. Additionally, Politico has revealed that Mike Reed, Chief of Staff for the RNC, will also be stepping down later this month to focus on his family.
However, Ronna McDaniel sent out an email to members denying reports that she has agreed to step down from her post as RNC Chairwoman.
“With a news cycle full of palace intrigue and speculation surrounding all of us, I want to take the time to reassure all of you that I am still hard at work as RNC Chairwoman and building a machine that will elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” McDaniel wrote.
She continued, “Myself and my staff are refusing to be distracted by the outside noise and we remain committed to our mission – rumors to the contrary are simply not true. Nothing has changed and there will not be any changes decided on until after south Carolina, when we may have our eventual nominee.”
“An inside source tells me this is the RNC’s attempt to slow things down because they’ve lost control of the process, ie who replaces Ronna, who will be co-chair, etc,” TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk said on X.
