It was revealed last month that Ronna McDaniel would reportedly be stepping down as RNC chariwoman, and she herself announced earlier last week that she would be leaving in early March. RNC's co-chairman Drew McKissick also joined her. Sure enough, McDaniel and McKissick are now out, and former and potentially future President Donald Trump's picks have replaced them. That means North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley and Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, will serve as chairman and co-chair, respectively, just as was previewed in early February.
Ronna McDaniel resigns. pic.twitter.com/mOGsEsNnXd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 8, 2024
CNN's coverage focused heavily on the Trump connection, with a headline that declared how "Trump's takeover of Republican National Committee is official as McDaniel steps down." It's worth reminding, though, that Trump backs McDaniel in her multiple runs as well. The CNN report also mentioned that neither Whatley nor Trump faced challengers for such positions. The New Republic went for a particularly hysterical headline earlier this week of how "Lara Trump at the RNC: One Step Closer to Hereditary Dictatorship."
For all this talk of a takeover, the report acknowledges such moves aren't actually "entirely out of the ordinary." Trump also looks to install others. As the CNN report continued:
The former president is also planning to install two of his senior advisers, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, to serve in senior positions at the RNC. LaCivita is expected to take on the role of the committee’s chief operating officer, while Blair will help drive the RNC’s political strategy, sources familiar with the plans told CNN. Both will continue in their roles as advisers to Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The leadership changes aren’t entirely out of the ordinary. A national committee is typically overhauled after the party has a de facto or official presidential nominee. The changes normally come in the form of a new chairperson or a top official from the presidential campaign moving over to the committee.
This time, however, people close to the former president and at the RNC describe the shift as a more of a takeover. Trump is looking to sync the RNC closely with his presidential campaign, building out a team that will indulge in his focus on election fraud and improve its fundraising prowess – at a time when the committee finds itself in dire financial straits.
Again, though, this isn't all that shocking. Not only were Whatley and Lara Trump's names mentioned ahead of time, but this looks to be a pretty intense presidential election with high stakes. Republicans also have a very real chance of winning back control of the Senate, while maintaining control of the House may prove to be a bit trickier.
There had also been issues with McDaniel's tenure as chairwoman, a position she held for a particularly long time. It wasn't only due to her record of net losses, though people have definitely made mention of that record. As Jennifer Van Laar, the managing editor of our sister site Red State, reported at length for months, the RNC's finances weren't spent in the most responsible of ways.
Trump and Fox News' Lawrence Jones also spoke about such coverage when it comes to how the former president spoke to McDaniel about stepping down.
#RonnaMcDaniel is out at the @GOP!
— Michele Blood (@BloodBrief) February 26, 2024
Thank you, @jenvanlaar @RedState, for your stellar investigative reporting leading to this crucial shift. pic.twitter.com/ruscOzly3x
🧵 Timeline to Ronna McDaniel's resignation ... Here is the first in-depth analysis that RedState - and ONLY RedState - did on RNC finances, in December 2022.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) February 7, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Analysis Shows RNC Spent Millions Spent on Private Jets, Limos, Luxury Retreats, Broadway Shows…
In her coverage of Whatley and Trump becoming the chair and co-chair, Jennifer begged the question, "Will Things Change?"
"In her unscripted remarks, Trump recalled her time as a senior advisor to the Trump campaign and pledged to work tirelessly to elect Donald Trump in November, as well as Republicans up and down the ticket," Jennifer noted. "She also announced a $100,000 contribution that was made to the RNC immediately upon the election and emphasized that she and Whatley will be getting right to work at both fundraising and providing the infrastructure and tools needed to accomplish the committee's electoral goals."
"As events unfold during the RNC meeting and into next week, we will bring them to you," Jennifer also previewed.
A little bit of extra tea spilled in this story...
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) March 8, 2024
Michael Whatley, Lara Trump Unanimously Elected to Lead the RNC; Will Things Change Now? https://t.co/J77DCqDjBj pic.twitter.com/Z5OumoBNWc
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