NEW: Conservatives Outraged As Likely Next RNC Chair Is Exposed As ‘Pro-Amnesty, Pro-LGBT’

A deep dive into the history of the incoming chair of the Republican National Committee has ignited concerns from conservatives that he will push the party away from total support for mass deportations and traditional family values.

The announcement that RNC Chair Michael Whatley will soon depart for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race surprised observers who expected to see the Trump-aligned chair lead the GOP through the 2026 elections. Instead, he will turn the reins over to Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, who is entering the role with President Donald Trump’s blessing.

“Fortunately, I have somebody who will do a wonderful job as the Chairman of the RNC,” Trump wrote. “His name is, Joe Gruters, and he will have my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

Grudters, 48, had been expected to serve as Florida’s next chief financial officer, a job he had been running for since May of last year. Instead, he will inherit an RNC that has vastly outpaced its Democratic counterpart in fundraising and a formidable slate of candidates that appear to be keeping the Senate under Republican control in 2027.

But concerns about Gruters have emerged starting in his home state where Gov. Ron DeSantis made his disdain for the GOP senator perfectly clear.

“If George Washington rose from the dead and came back and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Will you appoint Joe Gruters CFO?’ my response would be, no, I can’t do that without betraying the voters that elected me,” DeSantis said at a July 16 press conference.

The Republican governor has pointed to a fill sponsored by Gruters that would have empowered the state’s agricultural commissioner to oversee the position of chief immigration officer, a change that DeSantis equated to “amnesty.”

“It was a truly contemptible piece of legislation that would have allowed these illegals to pour in on our shores with impunity,” DeSantis said after local authorities disrupted a human trafficking ring.

Critics have also pointed to comments by Gruters declaring himself an “ally of the LGBT community,” according to the Western Journal.

He made headlines for the wrong reasons this past April when the Daily Mail discovered Gruters on social media was following 60 accounts with explicit adult material.

“I typically engage accounts that are recommended or interact with my account,” Gruters explained at the time. “That said, I will review my follows and remove any content that may be considered questionable.”

Allies of DeSantis denounced the choice of Gruters to lead the RNC.

“Perfect for San Francisco, nightmare for Florida,” one X user wrote after the news was announced on Wednesday.

“Gruters just tried to pass amnesty for illegal aliens in Florida,” wrote another user.

In a sign that Gruters will not enjoy a honeymoon in his new role, LifeSiteNews, a pro-life website with a devoted following, ripped his selection by Trump.

“Trump endorses LGBT ‘ally’ Joe Gruters to be next RNC chair,” the headline declared.

“Donald Trump has endorsed Joe Gruters to lead the Republican National Committee despite the Florida lawmaker’s liberal stances on LGBT ‘discrimination,’ immigration, teachers’ unions, and marijuana,” reads a summary of the outlet’s story.