Trump warned his 'hostile takeover' of the RNC will blow up in his face (msn.com)
Setting aside for the moment his contempt for Donald Trump, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele claimed the former president will come to regret his "hostile takeover" of the RNC because it will lead to his loss in the 2024 presidential election.
In a column for MSNBC, the co-host of the network's "The Weekend" suggested sticking the RNC with loyalists will lead to a bevy of yes-men giving a thumbs up to anything he wants whether it makes sense or not.
Noting that Trump put in place daughter-in-law Lara Trump to lead the way as co-chairman, he wrote, "An army of Trump-installed loyalists are replacing senior staffers to run the Republican National Committee. With the general election just eight months away, don’t expect this to look anything like a typical operation focused on getting out the vote, reaching out to undecided voters, standardizing messaging across campaigns, and doing other normal tasks. Instead, this will be a group solely devoted to the glorification of Trump. "
And that, he suggested, will be their — and the party's — downfall because it will lead to "groupthink."
"Staffers [will] make bad strategic moves because they can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t think like they do. It will lead to self-censoring, as staffers who have ideas that might rub Trump the wrong way will keep their heads down. And it will set the party up for another string of defeats, all the way up the ballot to Trump himself," he predicted.
Citing what he called the "decapitation of the RNC," Steele explained the dismantling of much-needed voter outreach programs are already underway that will cripple the party in November, particularly when it comes to roping in so-called swing voters.
"The RNC's extreme makeover undermines this goal of attracting swing voters," he writes. "This slice of the electorate has repeatedly rejected candidates who talk like Trump, act like Trump, and back Trump’s 'Big Lie.' Yet far-right election deniers now have their hands on the organization’s levers of power," he explained before pointing the finger at Lara Trump over her lack of qualifications for her new job.
"Lara Trump does not have the skills or training needed to craft an effective get-out-the-vote machine. Instead, she will serve as her father-in-law’s mouthpiece," he wrote before summing up, "Since Trump turns off some Republicans and independents, he would benefit from a strategic investment in down-ballot races. Strong support for a GOP Senate or gubernatorial candidate in battleground states could help Trump, creating a kind of reverse coattails effect. A rising tide lifts all boats — unless you blow them up first and burn down the marina while you’re at it."