Michael Whatley Accepts Trump’s Request to Remain RNC Chair

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is introduced by North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley (R) before speaking at the North Carolina GOP convention dinner in Greenville, N.C., on June 5, 2021. Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley has accepted President-elect Donald Trump’s request to remain in his role.

In a Dec. 4 post on Truth Social, Trump praised Whatley for doing “an OUTSTANDING and HISTORIC JOB” alongside RNC co-chair Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law.

“He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented ELECTION INTEGRITY OPERATION that protected the Vote all across America, and a GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN that delivered the Votes we needed in every Battleground State,” he said.

In a post on social media platform X, Whatley, 56, confirmed he will remain in the role where, under his leadership, the GOP took back the White House, and the Senate, and retained the House in the Nov. 5 election.

In addition to thanking Trump for his endorsement, Whatley said that “the RNC’s priorities will remain the same: get out the vote, protect the ballot, and raise the money we need to elect Republicans up and down the ticket.”

Whatley outlined the next steps for the GOP.

“We have crucial fights ahead, from supporting President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and preparing for the 2026 midterms to our ongoing fight for election integrity across America,” he said.

Before becoming the RNC chairman in March, Whatley served as the chairman of the North Carolina GOP between 2019 and 2024. During his tenure, the GOP kept both Senate seats and preserved its majority in the state’s congressional delegation.

Additionally, the GOP won supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature. Whatley had a 14–0 record in judicial contests.

However, the GOP lost the 2020 gubernatorial race as North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper won re-election despite Trump narrowly winning the state.

Whatley was one of the lawyers on the 2000 recount that resulted in George Bush narrowly defeating former Vice President Al Gore.

He has worked on Capitol Hill in numerous roles and also in the private sector.