Trump Endorses his Daughter-in-Law for RNC Co-Chair Job

Is it a good idea for Donald Trump to push forward his daughter-in-law’s name as RNC co-chairman? 

That’s a rhetorical question. It’s not a good idea for the presidential candidate expected to be the Republican nominee to put Lara Trump in the RNC co-chairman position. The nepotism is way too on the nose. 

I have nothing against Lara Trump. I think she does a good job supporting Donald Trump and loyally gives interviews on Fox even on Trump’s worst days. She is articulate and can defend her position. 

Trump chose Ronna McDaniel as RNC chairman when he became president. Trump credited her for his win in Michigan, as she was the chair of the Michigan Republican Party when he ran in 2015. Since then her performance at the top of the RNC has been criticized as Republicans continue to lose important elections. I’m not much of a fan of McDaniel but I think a lot of Republicans don’t understand the RNC’s role in elections. 

Anyway, Ronna McDaniel announced she will not continue as RNC chair. Her decision is reported to have been made after a two-hour meeting with Trump. Trump, though he is not the incumbent, still acts as though he is in charge of the party. Never mind that it was his endorsements of some less-than-good Republican candidates that led to Republican defeats since 2018. 

All Trump cares about is loyalty. Sorry. Not sorry. Loyalty over qualifications in many cases. This move will be perceived as more of the same. Lara Trump may be qualified to be co-chairman but it is her family connection that will outshadow her work. 

Trump, who isn’t the party nominee yet, said on Monday night that North Carolina Republican chairman, Michael Whatley, should be the next RNC chairman. He said that Lara Trump should be the co-chairman. Lara Trump is a native of North Carolina. 

The former president has nowhere near the number of delegates he needs for the nomination. That doesn’t stop him from moving ahead and trying to rush the nomination process to suit his needs. He still has one challenger in the primary race and Nikki Haley doesn’t look like she is dropping out anytime soon. She may last to Super Tuesday next month. Next week South Carolina will hold its Republican primary. Haley, a two-term governor, is expected to lose to Trump in her home state. Trump is currently up about 30 points ahead of Haley. 

The RNC is saying that McDaniel’s departure date isn’t set in stone yet. And, Nikki Haley doesn’t want the RNC to rush into new leadership solely on Trump’s desires.

Trump, in his statement, noted Whatley is “committed to election integrity, which we must have to keep fraud out of our election so it can’t be stolen.”

“Chairwoman McDaniel has been on the road helping elect Republicans up and down the ballot and she will continue working hard to beat Biden this fall. Nothing has changed, and there will be no decision or announcement about future plans until after South Carolina,” he said.

That’s even as Haley warned her party against acceding to Trump’s wishes.

Referencing Trump’s efforts to “get the RNC to name in the presumptive nominee,” Haley talked Tuesday about her rival’s moves to replace McDaniel, who has not announced her departure.

“What we saw yesterday was, he took a different approach,” she said. “Now he has decided he has fired the RNC chair, he’s named who’s going to be the new RNC chair, his daughter-in-law will be the co-chair, and he is making his campaign manager the officer that runs the party. Think about what is happening right now. Is that how you’re going to try and take an election?”

Let’s remember that though the RNC has struggled with fundraising, Trump tried to bar it from using his name and image to raise money. If the Trump campaign essentially integrates with the RNC, it might open the door to bringing in skeptical party donors who don’t want to donate directly to Trump’s campaign or super PAC. 

Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita will remain in his current role and, if Trump’s plan goes through, he will be the RNC’s chief operations officer. 

None of this matters until the RNC’s spring meeting later this year where an in-person vote will be held. Will the RNC bow to Trump’s wishes? It has in the past. We’ll know soon enough if Trump’s control of the GOP continues at the level it is today.