The former president is leading the field and ready to take back the White House. Now he’s shown a major trick in his book.
And this Trump endorsement news just shook up the entire 2024 election.
Former President Donald Trump outlined on Monday his proposals for changes to the Republican National Committee, including leadership roles for North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita.
As he gets closer to securing the Republican presidential nominee for 2024, Trump has increased his efforts to assert authority and place allies on the national party committee. Last week, Trump suggested Whatley succeed longstanding RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel following this month’s South Carolina Republican presidential primary.
A source familiar with the change told Fox News Digital at the time that Trump wanted Whatley to succeed McDaniel because he was “so powerful on election fraud” in 2020.
On Monday, Trump announced that Whatley, the national party committee’s general counsel, should be the RNC’s next chairman.
“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,” he added.
Whatley was a staunch backer of Trump’s unfounded allegation that his 2020 election defeat to President Biden was caused by widespread voting fraud.
The opposition Democratic National Committee responded to the news with an email titled “Donald Trump Endorses Extreme Election Denier to Lead the RNC.”
Whatley has been the North Carolina GOP chair since 2019. Whatley also works as general counsel to the Republican National Committee.
Prior to joining the Republican Party, Whatley worked as a federal law clerk, a senior official in President George W. Bush’s administration, and the chief of staff for former Senator Elizabeth Dole, R-North Carolina.
Whatley also worked as a senior consultant for the Bush-Cheney campaign, the Florida Recount and Transition Teams, and the Trump-Pence campaign and transition teams.
Along with attempting to elevate Whatley to the committee’s top leadership position, Trump announced plans for his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to run as co-chair of the RNC.
“Lara is an extremely talented communicator and is dedicated to all that MAGA stands for,” the former president stated. “She has told me she wants to accept this challenge and would be GREAT!”
Trump aims to influence the committee’s third post, chief operational officer. He would want to see senior Republican strategist Chris LaCivita, who is a key adviser to Trump’s 2024 campaign, in that position.
“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,” Trump said in a statement.
If LaCivita ends up at the RNC, it will be his second tour of duty. He worked as a top RNC consultant in the summer and fall of 2016, during Trump’s election to the White House.
The former president also stated that the three candidates are “highly talented, battle-tested, and smart,” and that they have his “complete and total endorsement” to lead the RNC.
As Trump aspires to reclaim his former job in the White House, he emphasized on Monday the importance of the RNC being a solid partner during the election.
“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 exclaimed.
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