RNC chair reveals Trump's role in 2026 midterms: "All the way to the finish line"

President-elect Trump will not be on the ballot in the 2026 midterms, but Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley says that Trump will have a "significant" role in supporting GOP candidates.

In the recent elections, the Republicans experienced significant triumphs, including Trump's victory over Vice President Harris to secure the presidency, the GOP's acquisition of Senate control from the Democrats, and their maintenance of a slim House majority.

During an exclusive interview with Planet Chronicle Digital, Whatley stated that "the fundamentals will remain the same as we move forward into the next election cycle."

To ensure our success in the upcoming elections, we must prioritize building our state parties, ground game, and election integrity apparatus. This will enable us to successfully guide our candidates through the primaries in '26 and ultimately lead them to victory.

In the past, the party in power typically experiences setbacks during midterm elections. Additionally, Trump, who was successful in increasing voter turnout, will not be running for re-election in 2026.

Even though he won't be a candidate, "President Trump will still play a significant role in the upcoming election because it's crucial to maintain control of the House and Senate in order to complete his term and agenda," Whatley stated.

Whatley predicted that "Donald Trump will be very active on the campaign trail for Republicans and his agenda will be the one we'll run on."

With the party soon to control the White House, Republicans are expected to be even more competitive in the campaign cash race in the midterms, as the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee outraised the Trump campaign and the RNC this past cycle.

He stated that he was thrilled with the progress of the fundraising efforts during the current cycle and looked forward to the future plans.

Donald Trump's agenda will be carried forward by maintaining House and Senate majorities, as Whatley stated in his message to donors.

He also resisted the continuous inquiry into the RNC and Trump campaign's ground game operations during the general election.

We put in a new system during this election cycle that targeted low propensity voters. It was highly effective, as he proudly declared.

In the upcoming midterm election cycle, low-propensity voters will be crucial for our success. Therefore, we will continue to prioritize building a program that targets these voters.

We highlighted that we targeted outreach to communities that the Republican Party typically does not engage with - Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters. This allowed us to observe significant shifts in voting patterns towards Donald Trump compared to previous elections. Additionally, we observed shifts among young and female voters because we were reaching out to every American voter. Our ground game was crucial.

A week after Trump asked him to continue as RNC chair, Whatley was interviewed.

In March, Trump appointed Whatley to succeed McDaniel as RNC chair after he secured the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Whatley, a loyal ally of the former president and a staunch supporter of Trump's election integrity initiatives, had previously served as RNC general counsel and chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party.

In 2028, Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance is likely to be the front-runner for the GOP nomination, as President Trump is term-limited and won't be able to seek re-election.

Whatley stated that the RNC will adhere to its traditional role of remaining impartial during an open and competitive presidential primary.

He stated that the bench in the Republican Party is strong, with numerous governors, senators, House members, and leaders across the country involved in the campaign and set to be part of the president's cabinet.

The "America First movement" is larger than Donald Trump, according to Whatley. He is merely the tip of the spear and the vanguard of this movement. However, it is a very big movement at present.

The chairman highlighted that "Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party into a working-class party. We now prioritize communication and collaboration with every voter, addressing their concerns and advocating for the issues that matter most to them. As we approach 2028, we are well-positioned to maintain the momentum of our agenda and movement."

In contrast to the DNC, which disrupted the traditional presidential nominating schedule in the 2024 cycle, the RNC maintained the status quo with their primary calendar and preserved the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary as their initial contests.

Whatley stated that he had not engaged in any discussions with anyone on our side regarding the 2028 calendar. He acknowledged that the Democrats had proposed changes during the election cycle, but he was unsure if it had a significant impact on their success.

As we move towards 2028, we'll have those conversations about adjusting the calendar, but for now, we're comfortable with it as it is.