Trump ally and daughter-in-law officially take over RNC leadership

The Republican National Committee on Friday selected new leaders who were hand-picked by former President Donald Trump, a move expected to tighten the expected nominee's hold on the party's machinery before the general election.

The committee unanimously elected Michael Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party and was the RNC's general counsel, as its chair and Lara Trump, Trump's daughter-in-law, as cochair. Whatley and Lara Trump were endorsed by Trump last month after Ronna McDaniel, the committee's leader since 2017, privately told the former president she planned to leave the position. McDaniel was for months the focus of intense pressure from inside and outside the Trump campaign to step down over the committee's lackluster fundraising and criticism over Republicans' performance in 2022.

Many of Trump's allies also criticized McDaniel, whom Trump originally picked for the position, for being insufficiently supportive of the former president. The new leaders will take the reins of the national party at a critical juncture for Trump's campaign, and their elevation is part of his larger effort to effectively merge the RNC with his campaign.

After Trump dominated the primaries on Super Tuesday, his last remaining rival, Nikki Haley, exited the Republican race, effectively handing him the party's nomination. Trump is now focused on the general election, and his campaign is expected to begin raising money in concert with the party, allowing him to raise far larger sums and to tap into the existing party apparatus.

During Friday's meeting, the RNC voted to officially recognize him as the party's presidential candidate.