Donald Trump on Monday night called for a leadership change at the Republican National Committee in an attempt to install a new slate of loyalists, including his daughter-in-law Lara.
The former president hopes to revamp the Republican Party’s political machine before attempting to secure the party’s next presidential nomination.
Current Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel says she has no plans to leave the committee until at least after the Feb. 24 primary election in South Carolina.
Still, Trump is calling for McDaniel to be replaced by Michael Whatley, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party.
The new co-chair, Trump said, should be his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, whom he called a “dedicated MAGA” in a statement.
Donald Trump is calling for Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, to become the new co-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The new co-chair, Trump said, should be his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, whom he called a “dedicated MAGA” in a statement.
He wrote in a statement released Monday: ‘The RNC MUST be a good partner in the presidential election. “It must do the job we expect from the national Party and do it without problems.”
“That means helping to ensure fair and transparent elections across the country, getting the vote out there everywhere – even in parts of the country where it won’t be easy – and working with my campaign, as the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, to win this election and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’
Trump added that Whatley is “committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our elections so it can’t be stolen.”
He said Lara, his son Eric’s wife, is “an extremely talented communicator and dedicated to everything MAGA stands for.”
‘This group of three is very talented, battle-tested and intelligent. “You have my complete and total support to lead the Republican National Committee,” Trump said. ‘Every penny will be used properly. New day.’
Trump’s decision to oust McDaniel, days after the two met at his Mar-a-Lago residence and agreed to delay a decision on his future, reflects his urgency to force Republicans to unite behind him in a likely revenge against President Joe Biden.
While Trump has not come close to gathering enough delegates to secure the nomination, he is considering a possible knockout against Nikki Haley, his last major primary rival, in his home state of South Carolina next week.
Central to Trump’s lawsuits are his false theories about election fraud.
Trump said Lara, his son Eric’s wife, is “an extremely talented communicator and dedicated to everything MAGA stands for.”
Donald Trump on Monday night called for a leadership change at the Republican National Committee in an attempt to install a new slate of loyalists, including his daughter-in-law Lara to replace Ronna McDaniel (pictured right).
Trump hopes Lara will be part of a revamp of the Republican Party’s political machine even before the former president formally secures the party’s next presidential nomination.
Trump has long complained that the Republican National Committee does not focus enough on preventing voter fraud, something he continues to falsely insist cost him the 2020 election, even though his own election officials, the Department of Justice and numerous courts found no evidence to support his claims.
Alex Floyd, rapid response director at the Democratic National Committee, criticized the appointment as a harbinger of a second Trump term in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“If there was ever a doubt that Donald Trump would bend America’s institutions to his will in a second term, just look at how he treats his own party,” he said.
“With his support for the election of conspiracy theorist Michael Whatley as chairman of the Republican National Committee, Trump is making clear that the Republican Party is the home of insurrectionists and extreme MAGA fanatics.”
Trump appeared to suggest Tuesday on his Truth Social account that he will decide the future of the Republican National Committee after the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24.
“Ronna is now chair of the Republican National Committee, and the day after the South Carolina primary I will make a decision on my recommendations for the growth of the Republican National Committee,” he buried in a post in which he boasted of his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire and advanced his visit to Nevada in the middle of this week’s primaries and caucuses.
Several MAGA-aligned Republicans have called for McDaniel to resign in recent months, including suggestions made by Trump in interviews and social media posts.
Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk told DailyMail.com last Monday in Las Vegas that he wanted to see Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump or failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy take over the party.
Trump, in his statement, added that Whatley is “committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our elections so it can’t be stolen.”
Trump has long complained that the Republican National Committee does not focus enough on preventing voter fraud, something he continues to falsely insist cost him the 2020 election. He believes Whatley could focus more on election integrity.
Trump once had a close relationship with President McDaniel, but it soured after the 2020 and 2022 midterm elections when MAGA-aligned Republicans began complaining that she couldn’t deliver victories.
‘I think Vivek would be great. Or Don Jr. or Lara Trump,” Kirk said. ‘I mean, if the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee merge, which happens at the convention, why wouldn’t they elect Don Jr. as the chairman of the Republican National Committee?’ He works hard and raises a lot of money. “It’s super intuitive.”
‘Do you think he would want to do that?’ DailyMail.com asked Kirk.
“No, that’s why it would be great,” he insisted. But Lara Trump would be good too. She’s really smart, great on TV. Vivek would do a good job.
“So I think Vivek, Don Jr. or Lara Trump,” he repeated. ‘I think you have to leave the committee. That’s my personal opinion. You have to get out of this whole country club. You have to have a different thought, you have to mix it up a bit.’
Kirk said that if McDaniel “leaves, then great.”
“We tried to get a different chair last January, but we couldn’t,” Kirk said. “And we’ve been really displeased over the last few months with the way the RNC has handled multiple things.”
Kirk wants the Republican National Committee ‘country club’ to be disbanded and new blood brought into the leadership. And he believes that should come from the pro-Trump world, as the campaign and the RNC will merge at the time of the convention over the summer.
At Kirk’s Turning Point conference last week, Steve Bannon delivered remarks to a crowd that included some members of the RNC committee where he denounced the president.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told former President Donald Trump that she will resign at the end of the month after facing multiple calls for her to resign.
Trump once had a close relationship with President McDaniel, but it soured after the 2020 and 2022 midterm elections when MAGA-aligned Republicans began complaining that she couldn’t deliver victories.
In a call and response, Bannon asked, “Should Ronna McDaniel resign immediately?” The crowd responded with a resounding, ‘Yes!’
‘Are we going to support anything the RNC does until she leaves?’ he continued, and the crowd responded, ‘No!’
Ramaswamy said during the third presidential primary debate hosted by the RNC in Miami, Florida, in early November that he wanted McDaniel to resign.
He called the Republican Party a “party of losers” and demanded that the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee “come on stage tonight” and resign from her position.