Trump team slashing RNC positions after takeover: Report

Just days after receiving a new leadership team spearheaded by former President Trump, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is slashing its staff, according to reports.

More than 60 people have been fired, including senior staff in political, data and communications departments, following former Chair Ronna McDaniel’s departure. Some were told they had to leave their positions immediately, while others have until the end of the month, The Associated Press reported.

The layoffs come just days after the RNC elected Michael Whatley and Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as its new chair and co-chair, respectively Friday. Whatley has served as chair of the North Carolina GOP and RNC general counsel and is a Trump loyalist.

Sean Cairncross, the committee’s new chief operating officer, notified the employees who would be fired. In an email to the AP, Cairncross wrote that “Whatley is in the process of evaluating the organization and staff to ensure the building is aligned with his vision of how to win in November.”

He also told Politico, which first reported the news, that certain staff have been asked to “resign and reapply for a position on the team.”

The layoffs cement Trump’s takeover of the committee, now that he is the likely GOP nominee to run against President Biden in November, and has allies in top positions in the committee.

Before being elected, Lara Trump said she’d spend “every single penny” of RNC funds to reelect Trump and she reiterated those claims during the GOP’s spring meeting.

A major question moving forward is whether the party will pay for Trump’s legal bills, after the former president was ordered to pay more than $500 million in fines. He is also currently facing 91 felony charges across four criminal indictments.   

While one member made an attempt to block the committee from offering to pay the former president’s fees, that proposal was killed after it failed to garner enough support throughout the RNC.

Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign senior adviser, said the layoffs are designed to eliminate duplication as the former president’s team and the RNC merge to become one organization, the AP reported.

The Trump campaign and the RNC have worked together before, the AP noted, but the firings mark an unprecedented level of integration between the two organizations.

The Hill has reached out to the RNC for further comment about the layoffs.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a statement criticizing the party for laying off its staff so close to the election.

“Firing nearly one-third of your staff in a frantic mass ideological purge less than eight months before a presidential election is typically not a good sign for a political party, but then again neither is posting historically weak fundraising numbers or repeatedly losing election after election,” Alex Floyd, the DNC’s rapid response director, said in a statement.

“Best of luck to donors who already wrote the RNC a check this quarter – if you hurry, you might still be able to cancel it,” Floyd added.