Read on Twitter
NEW: President Trump is trying to use his waning power to influence an important upcoming RNC vote that will help determine whether the GOP remains firmly under his control or splinters into many different pieces during the Biden era. by @tomlobianco ($) http://ow.ly/elV150CjeFr
Trump surprised party stalwarts on Wednesday night by endorsing incumbent RNC chair Ronna McDaniel before anyone else could publicly declare their intentions to run for the powerful post at an expected January meeting in Washington DC.
The president's foray into that race serves as another sign he wants to maintain an iron grip over the internal party's leadership structure, as well the valuable voter data it collects for GOP candidates and its sway with powerful donors.
It also comes at the same time Trump continues to publicly question his loss to Biden while simultaneously starting to talk openly with WH aides & outside advisors about his upcoming lame-duck status and a potential announcement before the end of the year to mount a '24 campaign.
Several RNC members who spoke with Insider this week said it's too soon to say whether Trump's support for McDaniel is enough to guarantee her victory in a race that could also include the likes of Kimberly Guilfoyle, Corey Lewandowski and Reince Priebus.
Still, these sources said Trump's move to try and unilaterally name the party's top executive looked like an awkward one considering he may soon be one of many Republicans running in a wide-open field for the party's next presidential nomination.
"It's a little disturbing that the RNC would be controlled by a candidate," said one Republican close to the president. "The members are stunned."
Trump's decision to back McDaniel as party chair for another 2 years, made via a tweet, arrived before she's even publicly declared her intentions to seek the job again. A GOP source familiar w/ McDaniel's thinking said she is expected to announce soon that she is running again.
But McDaniel isn't alone in eyeing the position, and RNC members say they have spent months gearing up for a contested battle where Trump is no longer an incumbent president.
"Once he's lost, he has no power," said one RNC member who will likely support McDaniel's bid for a third term running the party.
Check out this whole story w/ a @businessinsider subscription. You know the drill by now but it's just $1 for a month, or go for the full year and get a 20% discount via this link: https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/prime-discount?r=birefer-dsamuelsohn
