Trump’s handpicked party chair faces a rebellion after midterm losses test president’s grip on GOP

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NEW YORK — A nascent rebellion is underway against President Trump’s handpicked chairman at the Republican National Committee, and it’s already getting ugly.

NEW YORK — A nascent rebellion is underway against President Trump’s handpicked chairman at the Republican National Committee, and it’s already getting ugly.

Some members are calling for a forensic audit of spending decisions, including hair and makeup services for Trump and other officials, as well as the hiring of the daughter of Trump’s former chief of staff. Feuding Republicans are leaking emails and opposition research on rival factions. The White House is threatening to cut off fundraising assistance if the rebels don’t fall in line.

The emerging fight, which will shape the 2028 presidential nominating contest, represents a rare challenge to Trump’s dominance, even after the party’s worst midterm performance in a generation. Despite the broad losses, Republican leaders across Washington have shown little desire to move past Trump and have largely stood behind his most unpopular policies.

But inside the Republican National Committee, an organization of 168 members elected from every state who oversee the party’s national political operation, a small and growing collection of concerned Republicans are backing an attempt to depose Joe Gruters. Trump wants to keep him in charge.

The dissidents are rallying behind Kentucky’s KC Crosbie, the RNC’s second-in-command. She launched her bid just two days after the Nov. 3 election in a letter that drew the fury of both the White House and Gruters’ allies.

Crosbie remains a vocal Trump supporter who backs his “Make America Great Again” agenda, but her opponents view her gambit as a direct challenge to the president and his power.

“Our job is to elect Republicans broadly, not to support one man all the time,” said RNC member Oscar Brock of Tennessee, who is supporting Crosbie’s candidacy. He said that requires a change in leadership because “there’s so much frustration that Chairman Gruters didn’t pull his weight in this election.”

In her letter, Crosbie described the midterms as “a serious setback” and called for the RNC to…

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