As former President Donald Trump remains poised to receive the Republican presidential nomination, he is already making moves within the RNC to influence the 2024 presidential race. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s campaign senior adviser, is now in line to become the RNC’s chief operating officer.
If LaCivita takes over this GOP operation, he will be responsible for the $1 billion collected for the 2024 presidential race. Critics of the former president have already called out the idea of LaCivita getting this role within the RNC.
The Trump Campaign and RNC To Merge
Trump putting LaCivita as the RNC’s chief operating officer will help merge the Trump campaign and the RNC. According to a senior Trump advisor, this move would make these two separate groups “a distinction without a difference.”
This Trump and RNC merge will also likely allow the former president to have even more control over the GOP as a whole. Already, Trump’s influence over the Republican party has grown as he works to become the winner of the 2024 presidential election. With this RNC merge, his control will tighten.
A New Precedent Set By Trump
While Trump is no stranger to setting new precedents, his moves within the RNC have shocked some Republicans. Normally, it’s expected to see the party’s presidential nominee have massive influence over the RNC — and take control of what the RNC does by nominating RNC officials.
However, no party nominee has done this before they’ve become the party’s nominee. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s remaining opponent in the GOP race, believes she can still snag the nomination from Trump.
LaCivita’s Approach
A longtime Republican working in the field of politics, LaCivita has a no-nonsense approach to his work, thanks to his experience as a Marine. As Trump moves to shake up and influence the newcomers of GOP’s leadership, LaCivita could play a key role.
John Ashbrook, who previously worked with LaCivita for a pro-Trump super PAC in 2020, gave a deep dive into LaCivita’s personality. “You can expect a Marine’s approach to politics,” Ashbrook said. “He’ll arm the building with people who want to win and demand results.”
LaCivita’s Power In The RNC
If LaCivita gets the role of chief operating officer of the RNC, he will be in charge of signing off on key spending. All spending decisions would have to go through him. This could include anything from choosing vendors to how money is spent on TV ads.
LaCivita will make budget recommendations. As he continues to work for Trump, budget recommendations will also likely be handed out to the former president’s campaign.
A $1 Billion Enterprise
If LaCivita becomes the RNC’s chief operating officer, he will have the final say on how much of the GOP’s $1 billion enterprise is spent.
This has led some Republicans not favorable to Trump to speak out in alarm. Much of this $1 billion is set to go to the 2024 election race. The RNC is supposed to make it easier for national money to move to individual state parties throughout the year.
Trump’s Legal Bills
Already, some Republicans are worried that Trump could use his growing influence over the RNC to use their money to pay his legal bills. Even Republicans who back Trump would draw the line over using RNC money for legal issues.
Recently, it broke that two PACS in favor of Trump paid more than $50 million in legal bills for the former president. During the RNC’s winter meeting, there was also a lively debate about whether the GOP should help him cover these expenses.
Trump Ordered To Pay Over $300 Million
Some of the GOP remain worried about how Trump will spend party money because of the former president’s latest civil trials. Most recently, Trump was ordered to pay $355 million in his New York civil fraud case.
In January, Trump was also ordered to pay an additional $89.3 million to E. Jean Carroll in a defamation case.
The RNC Falls Behind The DNC
Even without worries over Trump’s personal finances, experts say that the RNC has a tough road ahead of them. The RNC has faced fundraising difficulties recently. As a result, they fall behind the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising.
However, many Republicans remain optimistic about the future. Often, more donations stream in once an official candidate is nominated within the party.
LaCivita Could Help With Money Worries
Many political insiders say that LaCivita is a money man. He knows when to spend — and when not to.
If this is the case, then LaCivita might be able to better handle the RNC’s money and ease some Republicans’ fears. However, others still feel that his loyalty to Trump could result in this money being spent in areas it shouldn’t.
The RNC Becomes The Trump Campaign
LaCivita isn’t the only person Trump is pushing to take a spot in the RNC. He’s also campaigning to have his daughter-in-law Lara Trump become the RNC’s co-chair alongside Michael Whatley. Whatley is the North Carolina GOP chair and a Trump loyalist.
Many critics — both Republican and Democrat — have called out the idea of Trump’s daughter-in-law having a leading spot in the RNC.
Nikki Haley Blasts Trump’s RNC Moves
Perhaps one of the most vocal critics of Trump’s recent RNC moves is his fellow GOP presidential candidate, Nikki Haley. In an interview with Fox, Haley called out the idea of Trump being in charge of RNC leadership.
“He’s putting his campaign manager as the director?” She said. “Are we gonna let him just take over the party that’s gonna control the convention, too? At what point do we not see the problem? We don’t have kings in this country.”
