Tuesday, Donald Trump has now secured a tight grip on the Republican National Committee. On Friday, the former US president’s two staunch allies officially secured top spots in RNC.
The committee unanimously elected Michael Whatley as chair and the ex-POTUS’ daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. Both the candidates had been previously endorsed by Trump.
Donald Trump-endorsed candidates secure top spots at RNC
The head of the North Carolina Republican Party will replace Ronna McDaniel, who served as the RNC chairwoman since 2017. She announced her decision to step down from the position last month after Trump’s peers put pressure on him to oust her. During her farewell speech, a teary-eyed McDaniel said, “President Trump deserves to have the change in place he wants in place at the RNC.”
“I will do everything possible to re-elect President Trump in November. And I ask all of you out there who worked so hard during this primary season or supported another candidate that you come in and join me in supporting our president as well,” she added.
Meanwhile, during the ceremony on Friday, Lara declared her unwavering support for her father-in-law, saying, “Everything I do at this committee will have one focus: re-electing Donald Trump, flipping the Senate, and expanding the House this November,” per Newsweek.
Lara Trump’s election as co-chair of RNC draws criticism online
The committee’s unanimous decision to elect Lara as RNC co-chair has sparked outrage online. After the speech from the speaker who nominated Lara went viral, netizens slammed her for lacking essential qualifications for the position.
“In a world where qualifications are often measured by titles and years of experience, we’re reminded of a truth: God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Lara Trump is the embodiment of this truth,” the speaker said.
In response to the speech, CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere said, “This is a speech explaining why the daughter in law of the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party was given a position running the Republican Party.”
Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Jen Psaki said, “Someone wrote this line and thought it was going to kill it.. ‘God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.’”
Another furious X, formerly Twitter user wrote, “Lara Trump is now Co-Chair of the RNC. After a lifetime of donating to every GOP nominee and multiple down ballot candidates every cycle….I’m out. I donated to help win elections, not to maintain the lifestyle of a billionaire. No point donating now.”