Lara Trump Named RNC Co-Chair in Major Leadership Shift
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee (RNC) has appointed Lara Trump as co-chair, a move widely viewed as further consolidating former President Donald Trump’s influence over the party’s national apparatus ahead of the 2024 election.
The decision was announced during an RNC meeting in North Carolina, with Michael Whatley elected as chairman. Lara Trump, a former television producer and longtime Trump campaign surrogate, transitions into a formal leadership role alongside Whatley, who has close ties to the former president.
Supporters describe the appointment as a pragmatic alignment of the party’s infrastructure with its most popular figure. They credit Lara Trump’s media experience and focus on grassroots mobilization, low-propensity voter outreach, and election integrity efforts for revitalizing the organization. Under the new leadership, the RNC reported significant improvements in fundraising, breaking previous records and energizing the donor base.
Critics, including some traditional GOP institutionalists, have expressed concern that the party is becoming overly centralized around Trump and his family. They argue the shift risks diminishing the RNC’s independence and transforming it into a personality-driven operation rather than a broad coalition.
The change reflects Trump’s strengthened grip on the Republican Party following his 2024 nomination. Analysts say the move aims to create tighter coordination between the national committee, the presidential campaign, and state-level operations. Lara Trump has described her role as focused on delivering a unified and efficient ground game for the November election.
