The Republican National Committee (RNC) elected Lara Trump as co-chair and Michael Whatley as chair on Friday, a move that has brought cheers from many Republicans and almost universal ire from Democrats.
Congratulations to @LaraLeaTrump on being elected to be part of a much-needed change at the RNC!
I cannot wait to see the incredible results that she is able to deliver! pic.twitter.com/vRDkRWDE7s
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 9, 2024
Lara Trump is married to Eric Trump and is former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law. And Michael Whatley was the head of the North Carolina Republican Party.
While it is Whatley who was elected chair, the placement of Lara Trump in the position of co-chair is a powerfully symbolic move pointing to the direction of the Republican Party in the immediate future. Both were elected unanimously. Both were also endorsed by de facto Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The transition is a symbolic changing of the guard as Ronna McDaniel resigned from the position of chairwoman. McDaniel was born Ronna Romney, and is the niece of former presidential candidate and current Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Although McDaniel has worked with Donald Trump as the head of the RNC, being a member of the Romney family has certainly been a hurdle, as Mitt Romney and Donald Trump are considered political rivals. In 2020, Romney was the only single Republican senator who voted to impeach Trump.
The change comes as a welcome signal for many who have been disappointed RNC’s fundraising results under McDaniel’s leadership. With the amount of opposition Donald Trump is facing, he will need all the support he can get to secure the presidency. As for Lara Trump, she seems up for the task. “The RNC needs to be the leanest, most lethal political fighting machine we’ve ever seen in American history,” she said in an interview last month.
With a focus on better management of funds, the co-chair vowed to handle party money with greater frugality and an emphasis on devoting everything possible to her father-in-law’s reelection. With a take-no-prisoners attitude, she also has promised to take a page out of the Democrats’ playbook and tell people to vote early and engage in “legal ballot harvesting.” She has also decried the political weaponization of the government against Trump’s presidential campaign.
Losing no time, the RNC voted to recognize Donald Trump as the party’s candidate for president, even though he has not yet officially won the nomination.
