The Republican National Committee (RNC) officially decided to appoint Michael Whatley and Lara Trump as its new chair and co-chair, confirming former President Trump’s restructuring of RNC leadership as he focuses on November.
RNC officials met in Houston for the group’s leadership meetings and agreed to replace outgoing chair Ronna McDaniel, who stepped down due to conflicts with Trump during the primary process.
Whatley, who previously chaired the North Carolina GOP and served as RNC general counsel, is a devoted supporter of Trump who has echoed the former president’s remarks about “election integrity” following the 2020 election, which Trump has falsely claimed was fraudulent and stolen.
In 2021, Whatley discussed his efforts to recruit hundreds of attorneys and volunteer poll watchers in North Carolina at the Conservative Political Action Conference panel on “protecting elections”. He has also expressed skepticism about mail-in and absentee voting unless they are combined with voter ID requirements.
In the event that the November election does not go his way, Trump is likely to pressure the RNC to pursue legal challenges, just as he did in 2020.
Lara Trump will take on the role of co-chair and will primarily focus on fundraising. The RNC has fallen significantly behind Democrats in fundraising over the past year, putting them at a disadvantage as they head into what will be a long and difficult general election campaign. The former president’s daughter-in-law stated to Newsmax last month that she would be willing to spend “every single penny” to ensure Trump's election.
Trump has easily won most GOP primary contests leading up to Super Tuesday. It is expected that he will reach the delegate threshold this month, officially setting up a rematch against President Biden.
Once a candidate becomes the presumptive nominee, it is customary for them to align with the party apparatus, allowing Trump’s campaign and the RNC to jointly raise funds and share data and other resources once the necessary number of delegates have been obtained.
An important question going forward is whether the party will cover Trump’s legal expenses. The former president is facing 91 felony charges across four investigations, and a New York judge recently ordered him to pay $355 million in a civil fraud case.
Over the past year, Trump’s campaign has
spent millions of dollars on legal fees, putting his operation at a significant cash disadvantage compared to President Biden’s campaign. Chris LaCivita, a key Trump campaign adviser moving to the RNC to oversee day-to-day operations, rejected the idea that the party would pay for his legal costs, although it has previously done so.
LaCivita told The Associated Press, “Not a penny of the RNC’s money or the campaign's money has been or will be used to pay legal fees.
Certain RNC members have expressed concerns about the party potentially covering Trump’s legal costs. Mississippi committeeman Henry Barbour suggested a non-binding resolution stating RNC funds could not be used for Trump’s legal bills, but it did not receive enough support.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) officially decided on Friday to appoint Michael Whatley and Lara Trump as its new chair and co-chair, solidifying former President Trump’s reshaping of RNC leadership as he focuses on November. RNC officials met in Houston for the group’s leadership meetings and agreed to replace outgoing chair Ronna McDaniel, who…
