Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has told former President Donald J. Trump that she plans to resign shortly after the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary, according to two people familiar with the plans.
Trump will then likely promote North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley as her successor, according to several people familiar with the discussions. However, under the secrets of the committee’s rules, Mr. Trump cannot simply appoint anyone. A new election must be held and Mr Whatley could face internal party disagreements.
Ms. McDaniel has been under pressure for months, a campaign by forces allied with Trump to unseat her and growing discontent and concern in the Trump camp over the RNC’s strained finances as the general election cycle begins early.
According to people who have discussed him with the former president, Mr. Trump likes Mr. Whatley for one overwhelming reason: He is “a stop-the-steal guy,” as one of the people described him. He supports Mr. Trump’s false claims of mass voter fraud, and Mr. Trump believes he did a good job delivering him North Carolina, a swing state for 2020.
Mr. Whatley has baselessly claimed that North Carolina Republicans’ election security efforts prevented Democrats from cheating. He is also currently general counsel for the Republican National Committee and has supported efforts to develop new election laws.
Mr. Trump and his aides have made a focus on election security a key issue they want to advance in a general election. There was no evidence of widespread fraud related to the 2020 election, and Trump’s allies lost dozens of court cases. Mr. Trump has told his staff that he believes the RNC needs to spend more money on “election integrity” in the 2024 race. Mr. Trump’s team is also focused on hiring teams of poll watchers, something the North Carolina GOP did during the 2022 midterm elections.
Mr. Trump has complained that the RNC’s election efforts have been inadequate, even though the party has poured resources into creating a full-time “election integrity” department that the party says has been involved in 77 lawsuits in 23 states.
Ms. McDaniel and Mr. Trump met at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. Shortly after their meeting, he posted on his social media site, Truth Social, all but announcing that change was coming. In the post, he described her as “my friend” and said she was “now head of the RNC and I will make a decision on my recommendations for RNC growth the day after the South Carolina primary.”
Ms. McDaniel had been thinking about leaving before the end of her term for some time, according to several people familiar with the matter. And despite hostility toward Ms. McDaniel from some of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, he was unusually gentle as he began to acknowledge her impending departure in public comments.
“I think she knows that,” Mr. Trump told the right-wing media site Newsmax in an interview that took place shortly after his meeting with Ms. McDaniel, when asked if it was time for her to resign. “I think she understands.”
A spokesman for the Republican National Committee did not respond to requests for comment. A senior adviser to Mr. Trump, Jason Miller, said in a statement: “Any speculation that goes beyond the president’s position on truth is just that — speculation.”
The RNC is particularly focused on voter turnout and fundraising. Mr. Trump has had two previous campaigns where he worked with the committee. The first was a forced partnership after he was unexpectedly named candidate in 2016, and the second was during the 2020 race when his team assigned key roles to the RNC. This time, the Trump team is expected to attempt to essentially take over the committee in a way that it has never done before.
Ms. McDaniel’s ability to raise money has undoubtedly been complicated by the behavior of Mr. Trump himself, both during his time as president and since he left office. Many major donors balked at the former president’s efforts to thwart the transfer of power after the 2020 election and his various legal troubles since leaving office.
Lobbying for the party leadership was taking place behind the scenes even before an opening was published. And personnel changes in the election year have been expected for some time in the committee.
Mr. Trump’s hold on the party is not absolute. Last year he had endorsed Mr. Whatley as co-chair, but Mr. Whatley withdrew after taking a backseat to Drew McKissick, the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. Mr. Trump also endorsed Joe Gruters for RNC treasurer, but Mr. Gruters lost in 2023.
But that defeat came when Mr. Trump was still in the early stages of running for president again, and not close to securing the nomination, as party officials are likely to be more deferential.
Mr. McKissick is now co-chair of the RNC (party rules call for a male and female co-chair). He has spoken with Mr. Trump in recent days and expressed interest in the chairman position should Ms. McDaniel leave, according to three people briefed on his deliberations.
A lobbying campaign against Mr. Whatley to replace Ms. McDaniel has begun even before her departure was official, with some RNC members saying another pick for Mr. Trump could be a smoother choice.
If Mr. Trump chooses a new male chair, the role of co-chair would then be vacant. Several prominent Republican activists have begun lobbying for this possible spot. For example, Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who supports Mr. Trump, publicly opposes Jessica Patterson, the chairwoman of the California Republican Party, over this position.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the influential group Turning Point USA, who has publicly advocated for Ms. McDaniel’s ouster, suggested in an interview last week that some members of the Trump family – including Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law – they could be possible candidates for party leadership positions.
On Tuesday, Republican National Committee chief of staff Mike Reed announced his resignation in an email to staff. The timing was coincidental. He had taken a new job in the private sector months ago.
Source link
2024-02-07 02:03:36
www.nytimes.com
