Donald Trump asks Michael Whatley to continue leading RNC after 2024 Republican victories
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would re-endorse the current chairman of the Republican National Committee after Republicans won the White House, House and Senate in 2024, specifically praising him for his handling of the party’s “election integrity operation.”
“I have asked Michael (Whatley) to return as chairman of the RNC to continue to build our party, and be a trusted partner as we make America great again, and ensure free and fair elections,” he said on Truth Social. “Republicans everywhere should support him as he continues his mission at the RNC.”
Whatley previously led the party in North Carolina, and became the national chairman in March, replacing Ronna McDaniel, whom Trump allies criticized. Whatley is serving alongside co-chair Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law.
During the 2024 election cycle, the Republican National Committee vowed to train and recruit thousands of poll watchers and got involved in election administration lawsuits across the country that challenged a range of voting laws and policies.
Under Whatley’s leadership, the Republican National Committee laid off more than 60 people and moved more of the party’s operation to Florida, where Trump lives. The party also asked some job applicants if they believed the 2020 election was stolen.
“He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented election integrity operation that protected the vote all across America, and a get out the vote campaign that delivered the votes we needed in every battleground state,” Trump said in his announcement.
Whatley wrote on X, “As long as I am chairman, the RNC’s priorities will remain the same: get out the vote, protect the ballot, and raise the money we need to elect Republicans up and down the ticket. That’s the strategy which helped re-elect President Trump, flip the Senate, and protect our House majority.
“We have crucial fights ahead, from supporting president Trump’s cabinet nominees and preparing for the 2026 midterms, to our ongoing fight for election integrity across America,” he continued. “I am honored for the opportunity to continue as chairman of the RNC and work nonstop to help president Trump make America great again!”