Former United States President Donald Trump is endorsing Michael Whatley to replace Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and is rumored to be looking at recommending his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair.
The Republican businessman has worked closely with the RNC for several years and Lara is seen as a prolific fundraiser. She would also be able to gain the trust of the Trump family, which has put an imprimatur on nearly every aspect of the former president's political life.
However, two people with knowledge of the matter described the situation as fluid, given the various moving parts. Officials with the Trump campaign and the RNC did not respond to requests for comment regarding the issue.
McDaniel, who has served as the party's official body's head for several years, has told the former president that she plans to step down shortly after the South Carolina primary. The latter is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2024.
Trump has also publicly described McDaniel as a "friend," but argued that she has been the focus of intense pressure from both inside and outside the Trump campaign. The Republican businessman's team plans to meld the RNC with his campaign as much as possible, as per the New York Times.
During the time that Trump was the insurgent nominee, his team was often at odds with the party's stalwarts. And from 2020, during the time that he was the incumbent president, his team allocated core functions to the party committee.
People briefed on the matter said that this time around, his team is aiming for as little daylight between the two entities as possible. Despite the former president's heavy pull on the GOP, the new chair and co-chair must still run for election among the 168 members of the party committee.
Trump's endorsement of Whatley in 2023 as co-chair was not enough to pull him through the election process for a victory. On the other hand, Lara considered running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, which is her and Whatley's home state, in 2021.
A Change in RNC Leadership
The former president's endorsement of Whatley to replace McDaniel as RNC chair cements his efforts to see a change atop the committee. It comes after weeks of reports that Trump has grown frustrated with the current head of the committee, according to Politico.
On top of his endorsements for Whatley and potentially Lara, Trump is also expected to tap Chris LaCivita to serve as RNC chief operating officer. He will also maintain his role as co-campaign manager of the Trump campaign.
Amid the developments, a former chair of the RNC, Michael Steele, ripped Trump's supporters on Sunday, calling them "MAGA zombies." It came as he expressed his frustration with those who do not appear to believe that the former president will likely attempt to deliver on his increasingly wild threats if he wins the presidency.
On Saturday, the former president, who has been indicted four times, said that he would urge Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to member countries of the NATO military alliance. This would happen if said country had not paid its way up to the alliance's standard, said Yahoo News.
