houston
CNN
—
Donald Trump has wasted little time making his mark on the Republican Party, just days after being nominated as the presidential candidate.
At the Republican National Committee's spring meeting here Friday, committee members endorsed Trump's endorsed candidates, Michael Whatley, the North Carolina Republican Party chairman, and the former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. He was recommended as the organization's new chairman and co-chairman.
The two were selected to replace outgoing RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and RNC Co-Chairman Drew McKissic. Neither faced a challenger on Friday.
“I know how important this role is, and it's truly an honor to be here with you all for the next 241 days,” Lara Trump said in her remarks after being elected.
The former president also plans to bring two senior advisers, Chris Lacivita and James Blair, to senior positions at the RNC. Mr. Lacivita will serve as the committee's chief operating officer, and Mr. Blair will help drive the RNC's political strategy, a person familiar with the plans told CNN. Both will continue in their roles as advisers to Trump's 2024 campaign.
A change in leadership is not at all unusual. National committees are typically overhauled after a party has secured a de facto or official presidential candidate. Changes typically involve a new chair or a member of the president's campaign moving to the committee.
But this time, those close to the former president and those at the RNC are describing the change as more of a takeover. President Trump is working closely with the RNC and presidential campaign to build a team focused on election fraud and improve fundraising capabilities, even as the committee is in dire financial straits. , President Trump is seeking to have the RNC closely aligned with his presidential campaign.
The change comes as President Trump wants to deploy the RNC's infrastructure at full capacity to shore up his general election campaign against President Joe Biden.
Mr. Trump has nearly clinched the Republican nomination this week, about four months before the Republican National Convention in July and eight months before the Nov. 5 election, and Mr. With access to procurement infrastructure, ground operations were much faster than during the 2016 campaign. These resources are critical for the Trump campaign as it plans to expand its team in key battleground states such as Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania in the coming weeks and months.
The full support of the RNC also ensures that countries begin working toward the goal of electing President Trump.
Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel attends the Republican presidential primary debate at the Reagan Library on September 27, 2023 in Simi Valley, California.
McDaniel, who previously served as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, led the RNC in 2017 and was re-elected to a fourth term in January.
“It's a little bittersweet to be here with all of you today as I step down as chair after seven years of working with you,” she said Friday.
But her decision to resign came after more than a year of heightened tensions between the former president and the RNC. President Trump has long harbored resentment toward the commission over its handling of the 2020 election, accusing it of not having adequate lawyers or systems in place to challenge the election results. CNN previously reported.
Those tensions have been rising in recent months, with Trump and his campaign increasingly frustrated with the way the RNC handled the Republican primary debates.
Tensions in the relationship reached a tipping point earlier this year after the RNC reported its worst fundraising year in a decade, a reality that Trump's advisers called deeply worrying. Stated.
Two party advisers told CNN that McDaniel later offered to resign so Trump could install his own party chairman. She announced her official retirement date after last month's South Carolina primary.
Trump's interest in Whatley stems directly from his work as North Carolina Republican Party chairman and his focused efforts to address allegations of election fraud, two people close to the former president said. Mr. Whatley has led the state's political machine for nearly five years, during which time he has cultivated a reputation as a loyal party figure that appeals to both Mr. Trump and establishment Republicans.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters/File
Former President Donald Trump is introduced by North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley before speaking at the state Republican Party convention dinner in June 2021 in Greenville, North Carolina.
In comments after his election Friday, Whatley thanked President Trump for his “trust and support.”
“No one has been more focused on fighting for the American people, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with him and contribute to the victory and recovery of our great nation.” said.
One of Mr. Whatley's first tests will be how to revive the RNC's fundraising power. According to recent campaign finance reports, the RNC had $8.7 million in the bank entering February, compared to $24 million for the Democratic National Committee.
But current and former RNC executives say the challenge is less difficult because Trump has become seen as the Republican nominee and the RNC can use Trump's branding to improve its own financial position. He claims that there is no.
The committee's lifeblood heading into the 2020 election was its ability to use Trump's name to raise money. But in March 2021, weeks after Trump left the White House, the former president's lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to the RNC and two other Republican organizations, demanding that they use Trump's name and likeness in fundraising efforts. ordered to stop using it. Appeal and goods.
However, with Lachivita, who has years of knowledge of how the RNC operates, joining the committee to prioritize financial oversight, the RNC is expected to work in conjunction with the Trump campaign, and is an advisor to the Trump campaign. said that they value the relationship even more. More “symbiotic” than before.
Lara Trump, meanwhile, is expected to serve as the public face of the RNC, focusing on fundraising and public speaking, a person familiar with her expected role told CNN.
One remaining question is whether the RNC will start helping pay for mounting legal costs now that Trump is the Republican nominee.
Trump's senior advisers, including Lasivita, insist there is no plan to use the RNC to pay for Trump's legal costs.
But as CNN previously reported, this stance came as a surprise to some Trump supporters and former RNC members, who believe the committee will pay for the former president's legal fees when he becomes the party's nominee. This was because they expected that the government would return to its customary practice of supporting the government. They began implementation during his tenure and continued until he announced his 2024 bid.
But Lara Trump left the door open to that possibility, telling reporters at a recent campaign stop that she believes Republican voters would support such a move.
This article and heading have been updated.
