Trump aides, who take over RNC, recommend mass layoffs
Days after allies took over the Republican National Committee, Donald J. Trump’s advisers are imposing massive layoffs on the party, firing or asking more than 60 officials, including senior staffers, to resign and then reapply for their jobs , according to two people familiar with the matter.
The rapid changes amount to a gutting of the party apparatus eight months before the November election, with one person familiar with operations estimating that the RNC had only about 200 people on its payroll at the end of February, and about 120 at its headquarters near the Capitol. Hill. Among those dismissed were the heads of communications, data and political affairs departments.
On Friday, Michael Whatley, a close Trump ally, and Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, were unanimously elected chairman and co-chairman of the committee. Mr. Trump had pushed out Ronna McDaniel, the committee’s leader since 2017, and backed Mr. Whatley and Mrs. Trump to take control of the national party.
Chris LaCivita, one of Mr. Trump’s top campaign advisers, was tapped to serve as chief operating officer, and he was at the party headquarters meeting with senior aides on Monday.
The purge of RNC staffers was first reported by Politico. It is not clear that Mr. Trump is done with the clearinghouse.
One person with direct knowledge of the changes said the party’s entire finance and digital teams would now be moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where the Trump campaign is based. Another person described the party’s activities and Trump as functionally fused.
Some of those asked to reapply were offered a generic email expressing their interest in rejoining, according to an email to staff from Sean Cairncross, a former top RNC official who had just returned to committee.
“Certain staff are being asked to resign and reapply,” Mr Cairncross wrote, according to a copy of the email. “If you choose not to reapply, your last day will be March 31.”
His email seemed to have been drafted so hastily that he had misspelled his own last name.
The upheaval at the RNC reflects Trump’s tightening grip on the Republican Party and its institutions at a time when he is close to clinching the presidential nomination. In addition to Monday’s changes, Mike Reed, who had served as chief of staff under Ms. McDaniel, had recently resigned at the end of February.
Mr. LaCivita had previewed major changes for the RNC following the leadership overhaul, which was telling reporters on Friday: “The RNC today, next week it won’t look the same. It is clear that changes will happen.”
Some Republicans worry the former president will use committee money to pay his legal bills. Mrs. Trump has previously said she would be open to the idea, saying the move would be popular among Republican voters and “of great interest to people.”
Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the Republican primary last week, had complained loudly about Trump’s grip on the party, claiming that if Trump won the nomination he would use the National Committee as “his piggy bank for his personal lawsuits” before lose the elections.
Charlie Kirk, leader of the pro-Trump youth organization Turning Point USA, applauded the cuts on social media, describing the layoffs as a “massacre at the RNC.”
“This is excellent,” Mr Kirk said. “The anti-Trump sleeper cells must all disappear. The RNC is getting ready to win.”