On Feb. 12, as rumors swirled that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel would step down, Donald Trump endorsed Michael Whatley, chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, to take over the top job at the RNC — portraying him as a MAGA loyalist through and through. “Michael has been with me from the beginning,” the former president said.
The Democratic National Committee sees Whatley in much the same way, describing him in a statement as a “MAGA Extremist Who Wants To Rip Away Americans’ Basic Freedoms.”
The truth about Whatley, however, is slightly more complicated. He did endorse Trump before he secured the nomination in 2016, and he appears to have risen in Trump’s esteem through his dedication to promoting election integrity — a buzz phrase Trump has championed while making unfounded claims about 2020 fraud. Yet Whatley is also a skilled operator with a substantial pre-Trump career in Republican politics, is known as a clear-eyed and personable strategist and is liked even by Trump-skeptical establishment Republicans.