Trump nominates NC vet, a former congressional candidate from Boone, for Army secretary
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants Daniel P. Driscoll, a venture capitalist and U.S. Army veteran from North Carolina, to be secretary of the Army.
Driscoll is a native of Boone and a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who worked as a senior advisor to J.D. Vance.
“As a former Soldier, Investor, and Political Advisor, Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent,” a Trump statement read.
Driscoll was one of 11 Republicans who ran for the 11th Congressional District in 2020 in Western North Carolina, which was vacant after Rep. Mark Meadows retired. Driscoll came in sixth in a GOP primary. Madison Cawthorn would ultimately win the seat.
Driscoll is married to a plastic surgeon, Cassie Driscoll, and they have two children. He completed U.S. Army Ranger school, was deployed to Iraq, and later graduated from Yale Law School, according to the Trump statement.
After law school, Driscoll worked in Charlotte in investment banking, but quit after his first child was born to take care of him while his wife finished medical school, the Citizen Times reported in 2020.
The U.S. Senate, which will have a Republican-majority next year, must confirm Driscoll’s appointment. The secretary oversees the Army’s budget and workforce.
Trump asks RNC chairman to return
Trump on Wednesday asked Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the N.C. Republican Party, to return as the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented ELECTION INTEGRITY OPERATION that protected the Vote all across America, and a GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN that delivered the Votes we needed in every Battleground State,” a Trump press release said.
Whatley, a Watauga County native, was named chairman of the RNC in March after Trump endorsed him.
Before that, he was elected the chairman of the N.C. GOP in 2019, defeating Jim Womack and John Lewis. He is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and Wake Forest University. Whatley previously worked in Charlotte as a federal law clerk while living in Gastonia.
He was a part of former President George W. Bush’s recount team in 2000, supported Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign, and endorsed false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Trump nominates NC vet, a former congressional candidate from Boone, for Army secretary."
