Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, who has been asked by President-elect Donald Trump to remain in his leadership role, told Newsmax on Thursday that the next challenge will be to keep the momentum going in the 2026 election cycle.
"It's an exciting time to be at the RNC right now coming off of this historic election," Whatley said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
The focus for 2026, he said, will come down to the fundamentals of getting out the vote, protecting the ballot, and making sure that enough money is being raised to run operations and campaigns.
"We need to make sure that we're going to save the House," said Whatley. "We're going to hold the Senate. But it's a great opportunity for us as a country."
For now, it's important to make sure that Trump's nominees are confirmed and that his agenda will be able to move forward, said Whatley.
"This is a group of people that are dedicated to making sure that he's going to get that agenda done," said Whatley. "Across the board, the caliber of the nominees that he has announced — the people that he's putting into place in his White House — led by chief of staff Susie Wiles, they're going to be able to implement this agenda."
Trump, meanwhile, has "completely remade the Republican Party" for the better, said Whatley. "We are now the party of the working class," he said. "We are now the party that represents every working-class family across the country. We saw historic shifts in Black voters, Hispanic voters, Asian American voters, young voters, and women voters in this election cycle. It's because Donald Trump was talking about the issues that they cared about."
Meanwhile, RNC Cochair Lara Trump is stepping aside, and the president-elect has endorsed RNC Treasurer Casey Crosby for the job.
"Casey Crosby is absolutely a fantastic lady," said Whatley. "She's a national committeewoman from Kentucky. She's been with President Trump since day one. She will be a fantastic cochair here at the RNC."
Lara Trump, who is married to President-elect Trump's son Eric, has been a "great cochair" and "transformational" for the RNC, he added.
"She has an absolutely bright future ahead of her," said Whatley. "No matter where she goes, what platform she's going to be working on, she will always work to advance Donald Trump's interests. She did more to help the RNC and help Donald Trump than anybody around the country, and I'm just grateful for the opportunity I've had to work with her."
Lara Trump has been mentioned as potentially replacing Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has been nominated as secretary of state, and Whatley said he believes she would be "great" in that role.
"No matter what path she chooses to go down, she's going to always work hard to represent her family and represent her community and represent America very, very well," he said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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