The Republican National Committee voted last week to install a new leadership team hand-picked by former President Donald Trump. North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley is the new chairman; Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law, is co-chair; and Trump senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita is chief operating officer. Now the new team is moving to ultra-Trumpify a party apparatus that was already deeply beholden to the aspiring autocrat.
The new RNC chiefs have terminated more than 60 people, by either laying them off or asking them to resign and reapply for jobs, two people familiar with the matter told The New York Times. Several of the people reportedly laid off were senior staffers, including the heads of the communications, data and political departments. According to an internal email obtained by NBC News, a deputy of LaCivita said the goal of the staffing assessment is “to ensure the building is aligned with his vision of how to win in November.”
Turning the RNC into an official cult of Trump could hurt the party — and Trump’s capacity to govern if he were to win.
It’s not unusual for a party to see a shake-up after the emergence of its presidential nominee. But in this case all signs indicate that Trump allies are most likely gutting the party apparatus to help streamline the organization entirely around Trump’s personal interests. Mass layoffs help pre-emptively quell any potential internal resistance to the GOP’s operating solely as an extension of Trump.
The RNC is supposed to support Republicans running for every level of office across the country and help the party grow. It should be expected to achieve its goals through rapid-fire messaging, financially backing candidates up and down the ballot, promoting voter registration and sharing policy information and other kinds of support. But Trump’s hand-picked RNC leaders have suggested that the RNC be nothing but a vehicle for Trump’s re-election. “Every single…
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