Reports of layoffs at the Republican National Committee (RNC) have garnered mixed reactions from conservatives, with some GOP members celebrating the change in personnel.
The RNC underwent a major leadership shakeup last week after two close allies of former President Donald Trump were voted to lead the party. The former president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was unanimously chosen as co-chair alongside longtime Trump supporter Michael Whatley, who was elected to chair the RNC.
Days later, reports surfaced that the RNC was looking to lay off more than 60 staff members—including some senior positions—according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with Politico and other outlets. According to one source quoted by The New York Times, the party only had about 200 on the payroll at the end of last month.
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Some conservatives who are also allies of Trump celebrated the decision, such as Turning Point founder and political commentator Charlie Kirk, who called reports of the layoffs a “bloodbath” in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“This is excellent,” Kirk added. “The anti-Trump sleeper cells all have to go. The RNC is getting ready to win.”
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, another staunch supporter of the former president, also said on Monday that reports of mass layoffs at the RNC were “music to my ears.”
“For three years, we’ve been trying to secure our election platform, and the money they spend over there, frivolously worrying about things that don’t matter, quite frankly,” Lindell told Steven Bannon, a former Trump White House strategist and host of the War Room podcast.
“I’m so glad they’re cleaning house because that’s what they needed and they needed different leadership there,” Lindell continued.
Former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who has been a vocal critic of Trump, offered a different perspective on X Monday evening, writing, “The RNC, in deciding to become Trump’s toilet and slush fund, is going to do real damage to down ballot races.”
“They deserve it for capitulating,” he added. “How far they have fallen.”
Newsweek reached out to the RNC via email for comment Monday evening.
Politico reported on Monday that an email was sent to some RNC staffers by Sean Cairncross, the party’s newly appointed chief operating officer, who said that leadership was “in the process of evaluating the organization and staff to ensure the building is aligned.” Cairncross added in the letter, “During this process, certain staff are being asked to resign and reapply for a position on the team.”
According to the Times report, one source with “direct knowledge” of the layoffs said that RNC’s digital and finance teams were being moved from their base in Washington, D.C., to Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump’s reelection campaign is based. Another source described the RNC as being “functionally fused” with Trump’s campaign.
Ronna McDaniel, the RNC’s former chairwoman, had held the position since 2017, but has faced backlash in recent years amid Republicans’ consistent election losses. Others have blamed Trump for the party’s poor performance.
A number of Republicans vowed to reject their own party after Lara Trump was elected as co-chair of the RNC last week, including U.S. Army veteran Peter Henlein, who wrote on X, “After a lifetime of donating to every GOP nominee and multiple down ballot candidates every cycle … I’m out. I donated to help win elections, not to maintain the lifestyle of a billionaire.”
Former Trump aide Olivia Troye also urged Republicans on Saturday to “stop donating” to the RNC, claiming that it was becoming a “Trump legal defense fund.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.