Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are making moves to expand their influence at the Republican National Committee, three GOP sources, including advisers to the President tell CNN. Some sources say they may seek to take over the party structure themselves.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son and his girlfriend, a Trump campaign fundraiser and former Fox News host, have made it clear to campaign and White House officials they are unhappy with RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who they view as not having done enough to win a close race.
Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle could seek leadership roles at the RNC to position the committee for a comeback run for the President in 2024, the sources said.
“Don Jr. and Kimberly have an eye on the RNC, through themselves taking over or somebody close to them taking over,” a well-placed Republican Party source close to the White House said.
Trump Jr. is seen as a prolific fundraiser inside the party as well as a popular figure in his father’s grassroots base.
Trump Jr. denied CNN’s reporting he was seeking to take over the party.
An associate of Trump Jr., Andrew Surabian, also said it’s “100% incorrect” that the President’s son is seeking a role at the RNC.
Guilfoyle and the RNC did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.
For some in the GOP, as distasteful as Trump Jr. leading or having significant influence over the RNC may sound, it’s seen as better than purging the outgoing first family, which could backfire with the President’s base, two sources close to the White House said.
“In order for Republicans to move forward they may have to do this,” one of the sources said.
If Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle do not ultimately assume formal positions at the RNC, the sources said somebody close to the Trump family, such as longtime campaign adviser David Bossie, could become chairman.
“They don’t want the ride to end,” a Trump adviser said of Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle.
Other names to surface in the search for new RNC leadership include former chairman and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Ohio Republican Party chairwoman Jane Timken, sources said.
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