Mike Reed, the RNC’s Chief of Staff, Is Stepping Down

Mr. Reed, a top aide to Ronna McDaniel, the party’s chairwoman, said his departure was not prompted by a potential leadership shake-up.

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Mike Reed, the chief of staff of the Republican National Committee, will step down at the end of February.

A top lieutenant to Ronna McDaniel, the embattled Republican National Committee chairwoman, announced Tuesday that he would leave his post at the end of the month.

Mike Reed, the committee’s chief of staff since 2022, denied that his departure was prompted by a leadership overhaul teased by former President Donald J. Trump in recent days. In a memo to staff, which was obtained by The New York Times, he wrote that “it is just time for a change” and that he had “a growing family who needs and deserves my attention.”

The announcement came on the heels of a suggestion from Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, that Ms. McDaniel should no longer lead the party.

“I know the timing of this news comes as many rumors in the press swirl and we prepare to merge with the presumptive nominee,” Mr. Reed said, referring to Mr. Trump. “I assure you, the R.N.C. is in an incredibly strong position. We always knew there would be some changes once we had a presumptive nominee, and we welcome that.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, Ms. McDaniel called Mr. Reed a “calm and steady hand” in the “chaotic world of D.C. and the R.N.C.”

She did not address the timing of his departure, which followed the recent disclosure that the committee had recorded its weakest cash position in years — only $8 million cash on hand, with $1.8 million in debts.

Mr. Reed, who held three other jobs at the committee before becoming its chief of staff, according to his LinkedIn profile, said in his memo that he would be leaving for a position in the private sector outside politics.

His memo sought to paint a rosy picture of the state of the party and Ms. McDaniel’s leadership, contending that both were on solid footing. It described recent conversations between Ms. McDaniel and Mr. Trump as upbeat. Politico reported that they met on Monday at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s members-only club in Florida.

Neil Vigdor covers politics for The Times, focusing on voting rights issues and election disinformation. More about Neil Vigdor