The RNC’s night of the long knives
On Friday, longtime head of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel stepped down, leaving room for the incoming leadership team backed by Donald Trump. That team consists of Trump ally Michael Whatley as the new RNC chair, and daughter-in-law Lara Trump as the new co-chair.
Trump’s team officially took over the RNC on Monday, and within hours, the knives came out as the organization fired around 60 existing staff members. As The Guardian reports, this was done to bring the RNC “under the wing of the Trump 2024 presidential campaign.” As both leadership and contractors were sent packing, one Guardian source described the situation as an “absolute bloodbath.”
The Washington Post reported on Monday that Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita has now taken over as the RNC’s chief of staff. LaCivita has reportedly been studying the organization for weeks, planning to make changes to align the national party with Trump’s campaign. Some level of turnover was expected, but RNC employees are reportedly “shocked” at the firings.
“Gutting a committee just before the election seems insane,” one former RNC employee told the Post.