The Republican National Committee, or RNC, witnessed a significant shift in leadership dynamics as Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, assumed a key role within the organization.
This move comes amidst a debate among RNC members regarding the organization’s stance on contributing to Trump’s legal expenses, Reuters reported.
During a meeting held in Houston, RNC members voted to appoint Michael Whatley and Lara Trump as chair and co-chair, respectively, of the organization.
Following the former president’s victory in the Super Tuesday primaries, which prompted Nikki Haley‘s withdrawal from the Republican race, it’s almost certain that Trump will secure the nomination and set the stage for a showdown with President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
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“The goal on November 5th is to win, and as my father-in-law says ‘bigly,'” Lara Trump said, according to Reuters.
She promised that “every single penny of every dollar raised” would go toward the purpose of winning the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The reorganization resulted in Ronna McDaniel being replaced at the helm of the RNC.
McDaniel, a loyal Trump supporter, encountered pressure to resign due to lackluster fundraising and a subpar performance by Republicans in the 2022 congressional midterms, Reuters added.
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Several RNC members have urged the committee to assist in covering Trump’s legal fees, which have soared to hundreds of millions of dollars, including penalties.
During speeches on Friday, neither Whatley nor Lara Trump explicitly tackled the matter, causing some donors to hesitate in contributing funds, Reuters added.
“Donors don’t want to pay some other rich guy’s legal bills. They want to help win elections, because that’s the RNC’s job,” said Henry Barbour, an RNC member from Mississippi who formulated a resolution barring using funds for that purpose.
The resolution failed to gain enough support to be put to a vote on Friday, Reuters noted.
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Donald Trump’s effort to appoint the wife of his younger son, Eric, as the second-in-command reflects his dominance over a political institution dedicated to electing Republicans at all levels.
Such familial influence in a position of significant authority within the RNC has not been seen since President Ronald Reagan‘s daughter Maureen Reagan served as RNC co-chair in the 1980s, the report added.
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