Former President Donald Trump finally echoed the longstanding concerns of GOP base voters about Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as he recently expressed dissatisfaction with her leadership of that organization over the past few years.
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed in a statement that his preferred choice to replace McDaniel as the RNC chair was Michael Whatley, the current chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, Breitbart reported.
He also revealed that he wanted to see Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, and Chris LaCivita, his senior and co-campaign manager, take on the roles of RNC co-chair and the organization's chief operating officer, respectively.
"The RNC MUST be a good partner in the Presidential election. It must do the work we expect from the National Party and do it flawlessly," former President Trump said in a statement released Tuesday by his campaign.
"That means helping to ensure fair and transparent elections across the country, getting out the vote everywhere -- even in parts of the country where it won’t be easy -- and working with my campaign, as the Republican presumptive nominee for President, to win this election and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he continued.
"For these reasons, I think my friend Michael Whatley should be the RNC’s next leader," Trump said. "Michael has been with me from the beginning, has done a great job in his home state of North Carolina, and is committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our election so it can’t be stolen."
Former President Trump wasn't finished there, though, as he stated, "My very talented daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has agreed to run as the RNC Co-Chair. Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for. She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!"
"I have also asked Chris LaCivita, in whom I have full confidence, to assume the role of, in effect, Chief Operating Officer of the Committee," he continued. "Chris will manage the RNC’s day-to-day operations so it will become a fighting machine for 2024 and use all the tools available to win for the American people."
"This group of three is highly talented, battle-tested, and smart. They have my complete and total endorsement to lead the Republican National Committee," Trump concluded along with a final shot at McDaniel that alluded to accusations of financial mismanagement at the RNC under her leadership, as he added, "Every penny will be used properly. New Day."
Politico reported that former President Trump's endorsement of a new leadership team for the RNC to replace McDaniel doesn't guarantee that they will all be accepted to serve in the various named roles, though a confirmation vote on their appointments by senior RNC members is likely just a formality.
Trump's pick of Whatley as McDaniel's replacement, which had been rumored in recent days, was not particularly surprising, given Whatley's success in leading the North Carolina GOP, his role in helping Trump win that state in prior elections, and his focus on making combatting alleged election fraud a top priority.
Nor is his choice as Lara Trump to serve as RNC co-chair a surprise, as she was been an active and loyal surrogate on his behalf in the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, and had continued in that role in the current election cycle.
As for LaCivita, he has also served Trump loyally since the 2016 campaign and, if confirmed to be the RNC's new COO, would assume those day-to-day management responsibilities in addition to his current role as a co-campaign manager for Trump's current re-election effort, according to Politico.
That would likely involve him splitting his time between the Trump campaign's headquarters in South Florida and the RNC headquarters in Washington D.C., with his top priority being achieving victory for the former president in the crucial swing states that typically help decide close elections.
