Trump backs Joe Gruters for another term as RNC chair
Where it stands
Trump endorsed incumbent RNC chair Joe Gruters for another term; KC Crosbie has announced a challenge, and the endorsement does not decide the RNC's January leadership election.
Sources reviewed: Nov 6, 2026 · 9:30 PM EST
President Donald Trump endorsed Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters for another term, calling him a trusted partner and urging Republicans to support him. The endorsement followed RNC co-chair KC Crosbie's announcement that she would challenge Gruters after Republicans lost control of Congress in the November 3 midterms.
The Washington Post reported that Gruters helped shape the party's midterm strategy and had predicted Republicans would outperform historical trends.
The response.
Crosbie said the RNC had fallen short and called for change after the election, according to The Washington Post and Axios. Axios reported that her candidacy letter went to the committee's 168 members and that the RNC plans to hold leadership elections at its January meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Trump did not address the midterm losses in his endorsement; he emphasized Gruters's support for his Florida campaigns, party management and personal loyalty. The public endorsement is evidence of Trump's preference, not a completed RNC election or proof of why committee members will vote as they do. The Ledger could not access Truth Social directly and reviewed a public archive of Trump's post alongside AP and Washington Post reporting.
Dates & scope
Source publication: Nov 6, 2026 · 9:30 PM EST
Event or conduct: 2026-11-06.
Full chronology and review notes
Trump posted his endorsement November 6. Associated Press and The Washington Post reported it the same day. The Ledger reviewed the public-post archive, AP, The Washington Post and Axios at 9:30 p.m. EST. The endorsement, news publication, source review and RNC's scheduled January leadership election are distinct events.
This is a dated report. The source-review time records when the linked sources were checked; it is not a live update.
Coverage is non-exhaustive. Our source-review standards →
Open the original record.
- Associated Press: The Latest: Trump replaces Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff ↗
Independent November 6 live report reproducing Trump's endorsement and identifying it as support for another term
- Trump's Truth public archive: Donald Trump public post endorsing Joe Gruters ↗
Public archive of Trump's November 6 statement; Truth Social itself was inaccessible to the Ledger, so this copy is treated as a secondary archive rather than the platform record
- The Washington Post: Trump endorses embattled RNC chairman after GOP shellacking ↗
Independent November 6 report on the endorsement, Crosbie's challenge, Gruters's midterm role and the parties' stated positions
- Axios: White House furious over surprise challenge to Trump's RNC chair ↗
November 6 report based on Crosbie's candidacy letter and administration sources; its anonymous-source character is retained, and the reported White House reaction is not presented as a formal finding
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