Sixty (former) Republican National Committee (RNC) staffers received their walking papers this week, just days after new pro-Trump leadership took over at the committee.
The RNC voted on March 8 to replace Ronna McDaniel with new Chairman Michael Whatley and Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, as co-chair.
Chris LaCivita, a top Trump aide, took over as the RNC’s chief of staff.
The firings are a clear sign that the Trump campaign is focused on aligning the Republican Party with the campaign after months of feckless leadership at the RNC.
Whatley, the former chair of the North Carolina GOP, said in his acceptance speech that the RNC “will be focused like a laser on getting out the vote and protecting the ballot” and “will work hand in glove with President Trump’s campaign.”
Former Trump White House adviser, who is set to become the RNC’s new chief operating officer, Sean Cairncross, reportedly sent an email that said a full evaluation of RNC staffing was being done “to ensure the building is aligned with his vision of how to win in November.”
The RNC staffing changes were also referenced in a memo sent by Whatley, which also said the RNC has “completed a joint fundraising agreement with the Trump campaign and has brought in a data liaison to work with other Republican committees and state parties.”
The changes appear to having an immediate impact.
Lara Trump announced the RNC had the “largest digital fundraising weekend since 2020.”
Trump also told Fox News that she “personally had $2.7 MILLION pledged to her on her first weekend as RNC co-chair”:
Lara Trump announces she personally had $2.7 MILLION pledged to her on her first weekend as RNC co-chair 🔥
"Things are changing rapidly… one of the things that's changing is going to be our fundraising" pic.twitter.com/Wh22FM2iQO
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) March 14, 2024