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 Chair of the Republican National Committee.
In addition to Whatley, Trump has also thrown his support to his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, supporting her in the role of co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Along with these endorsements, Trump has nominated Chris Lacivita, his co-campaign manager, to serve as the RNC's chief operating officer, although Lacivita is expected to continue in his current position in the meantime.
These endorsements come at a critical juncture for the Republican National Committee as it prepares for the 2024 presidential race. Trump's support is expected to significantly influence the committee's direction and strengthen his control over the party's apparatus.
In a statement issued today, President Trump emphasized the importance of the Republican National Committee in the upcoming presidential election, outlining the need for an “impeccable” partnership to secure transparent elections and strong voter turnout.
His statement stated the following:
The RNC should be a good partner in presidential elections. You must do the work we expect of the National Party and do it flawlessly. That means helping to ensure fair and transparent elections across the country, getting the vote out there — even in parts of the country where it won't be easy — and working with my campaign, as the presumptive Republican nominee for president, to win this election. Elections and Make America Great Again!
For these reasons, I believe my friend Michael Whatley should be the next leader of the Republican National Committee. Michael has been with me since the beginning, has done amazing work in his home state of North Carolina, and is committed to election integrity, which we must be committed to to keep fraud out of our elections so they can't be stolen.
My very talented daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has agreed to run as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Lara is an extremely talented communicator dedicated to everything MAGA stands for. She told me she wanted to take on this challenge and it would be great!
I've also asked Chris Lacivita, who I trust completely, to, in effect, take on the role of chief operating officer on the committee. Chris will manage the day-to-day operations of the Republican National Committee so that it becomes a 2024 fighting machine and uses all the tools at its disposal to win for the American people.
This group of three is extremely talented, battle-tested, and smart. They have my full and complete endorsement for the leadership of the Republican National Committee.
This high-profile endorsement comes on the heels of reports of tensions between Trump and current Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. CNN reported that Trump and his advisers were not satisfied with McDaniel's leadership, leading to pressure for her resignation.
McDaniel reportedly met with Trump for two hours at Mar-a-Lago just days after the Republican National Committee'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 Republican Party in 2017, the party's grip on power appears to have loosened. Under her watch, Republicans experienced a series of electoral setbacks, losing eight gubernatorial races, three Senate seats, 19 House seats, and a presidential race.
The Gateway Pundit reported Saturday that the RNC is looking to open a line of credit to help pay bills and make up for recent dismal fundraising levels.
It can be recalled that donations to the weak Republican Party reached their lowest levels in 8 years under Ronna McDaniel.
An in-depth investigation by RedState has uncovered disturbing details about the spending habits of the Republican National Committee (RNC) under Chair Ronna McDaniel, highlighting a troubling pattern of spending on non-essential items.
This report comes more than a year after the initial revelation that millions of donor funds were allocated to luxury goods and upscale entertainment.
The latest financial audit, drawn from Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, compares the Democratic National Committee's (RNC) spending to that of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from October 20, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The results show a stark contrast in financial performance. Priorities between the two parties.
Here's a breakdown of the spending categories between the RNC and DNC:
Flower 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: 7000 dollars
Voter file maintenance:
- RNC: $39,233.50
- DNC: $235,865.88
GOTV scripts:
- RNC: $86,019
- DNC: $1,676,923.29
State expenditures:
- RNC: 13,800,200 dollars
- DNC: $23,835,437
The organization has outspent the Democratic National Committee in areas such as flower arrangements, consultants, office supplies, and limousines.
The DNC has directed significantly more money to key areas such as voter file maintenance, GOTV (Get Out The Vote) text messaging campaigns, and state party support, which are traditionally vital to election success.
In the wake of this political maneuvering, The New York Times reported that Ronna McDaniel is set to resign after the South Carolina Republican primary. Additionally, Politico revealed that Mike Reed, chief of staff of the Republican National Committee, will also step down later this month to focus on his family.
However, Ronna McDaniel sent an email to members denying reports that she had agreed to step down from her position as GOP chair.
“With a news cycle full of palace intrigue and speculation surrounding us all, I want to take the time to assure you all that I am still working hard as Chair of the Republican Party and building a machine that will elect Republicans up and down the ballot.” In November, McDaniel wrote.
She continued, “My staff and I refuse to be distracted by outside noise and remain committed to our mission — rumors to the contrary are simply not true. Nothing has changed and no changes will be decided upon until after South Carolina, when we have our final nominee.”
“An inside source told me that this is the Republican National Committee’s attempt to slow things down because they have lost control of the process, i.e. who will replace Rona, who will be co-chair, etc.,” TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk said on X.
