After a major reshuffle, the Republican National Committee’s focus is money, winning, and election integrity, says new co-chair Lara Trump.
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, confirmed that she and other new leaders started their first day on the job with “a lot of restructuring of people at the RNC.”
In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times on March 12, Ms. Trump didn’t divulge the number of RNC employees who were laid off March 11 when she and other leaders took the helm. She said the final number isn’t settled because “there are some people who will come back, and there are some who will not.”
But, she said, the new leaders’ immediate actions demonstrate “we really are very serious” about the party’s paramount goal: helping President Trump and other Republicans win elections.
That means raising money, spending it wisely, engaging voters, and making sure their votes count.
“It’s the dawn of a new day at the RNC,” Ms. Trump, wife of President Trump’s son, Eric, said. “I think it’ll be a breath of fresh air for people to see a lot of the things we do.”
She and other top leaders—including the new chairman Michael Whatley, who has headed North Carolina’s GOP—are playing hardball.
“We are not there to make friends; we are there to win,” Ms. Trump said. “If you are really focused on that goal, you do have to say ‘no’ to people; you do have to have those hard conversations.”
That attitude represents a major shift. For years, the RNC operated like a “good ol’ boys’ club” full of glad-handers, politicos have told The Epoch Times.
In response to that characterization, Ms. Trump said: “I think that is the sentiment that far too many people had about the RNC. And that’s why you saw my father-in-law call for a change in leadership there.”
The ascension of Ms. Trump and Mr. Whatley—along with longtime co-manager of the Trump campaign Chris LaCivita as RNC chief operations officer—cements President Trump’s position as the de facto leader of the GOP.
