Trump backs Gruters’s reelection bid as RNC chair

President Trump formally backed Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters’s reelection bid on Friday following the party’s widespread losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

“Joe Gruters should return as Chairman of the RNC to continue to build our Party, and be a trusted partner as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and ensure Free and Fair Elections. Republicans everywhere should support him as he continues his mission at the RNC,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

The president called Gruters “100 [percent] America First,” and noted the party’s grassroots love him.

“As Chairman, Joe turned the RNC into an efficient, focused, and powerful machine that will continue to empower the America First Agenda for many years to come,” he said.

Trump’s endorsement comes after RNC co-Chair KC Crosbie, another Trump ally, announced she would challenge Gruters for his role in January.

“Tuesday’s results were a serious setback. Democrats will control both chambers of Congress, and we lost in places we have long counted on,” Crosbie wrote in a letter announcing her challenge to Gruters. “We owe ourselves an honest account of why. Voters were focused on the cost of living, and the direction of the country. Our improvements in field operations, voter contact, and election integrity infrastructure were valuable, but they did not address those concerns or deliver the results we needed.”

Democrats scored widespread victories in the midterm elections, winning key battleground states, flipping a number of red states and gaining majorities in state legislatures.

Democrats hold a 54-44 majority in the Senate as of Friday, and they led 253-158 for seats in the House, according to The Hill’s partner DDHQ.