Former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel suggested Sunday that her removal as party president stemmed from Donald Trump’s irritation with his push for a debate in the 2024 nomination process.
McDaniel resigned as RNC chairman earlier this month amid a Trump-backed leadership shake-up and was replaced by Michael Whatley, while senior Trump campaign adviser Chris Lacivita became chief operating officer ( COO), and Lara Trump became party co-chair.
“There’s no question that as RNC chairman you have to remain neutral, and we had a primary process. So we had a discussion,” McDaniel said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the He told the press. “Tensions and small frictions started in the process.”
President Trump, now a leading candidate and facing numerous federal felonies, has skipped all 2024 Republican debates.
“I knew when I was in the role that when a candidate came forward and it looked like maybe it was going to be President Trump, I was going to make the argument that they would want to switch,” McDaniel said. he added.
She defended the move by juxtaposing Democrats and Republicans, who have avoided controversy and now have to run against environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent.
McDaniel recently signed a contributor deal with NBC, sparking a wave of backlash at the company, particularly at sister network MSNBC. Her host Kristen Welker harshly criticized her for her background on Sunday.
Trump, 77, met with McDaniel before endorsing his successor. He initially supported her to take over the party structure after she was elected president in 2016.
McDaniel’s critics pointed to the Republican Party’s poor electoral record during her tenure and poor fundraising numbers released in recent months.
Last year, the RNC weathered its worst fundraising year in 30 years, after adjusting for inflation, raising just $87.2 million and ending the year with $8 million in cash on hand. According to the Federal Election Commission.
In contrast, the DNC earned $119 million and ended the year with about $21 million in cash on hand. According to FEC.
“We don’t choose candidates, we choose turnout,” McDaniel said of the Republican election performance he oversees. “What I tell people is we’re building the roads that all the candidates drive on…the roads weren’t the problem. It goes from candidate to candidate. is.”
“So I consider my term as RNC chair a success.”
No longer bound by his duties as party leader, McDaniel has spoken more openly about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, appearing to push back on President Trump’s depiction of those arrested as “hostages.”
“Let me be clear: The violence that occurred on January 6th is unacceptable. It is not representative of our country,” she said. “If you attacked the Capitol and were convicted, it should stay that way.”
When asked why he didn’t speak out more about President Trump’s comments regarding the Capitol riot, McDaniel emphasized that he is no longer the RNC chair.
“Now, when you’re the RNC chair, it’s like you’re chairing the whole team. Now you can be a little more yourself. This is what I believe: our political debate. I don’t think there should be any violence involved,” McDaniel said.
She later asserted that “the reality is Joe Biden won and he’s president,” but continued to say there were “problems in 2020” regarding the way elections were conducted in some states. ” he said.
Later in the controversial interview, McDaniel rejected any suggestion that he could not believe what he said.
Asked if President Biden was changing his tone about being “lawfully elected,” McDaniel responded, “I don’t think he’s changing his tone at all.”
McDaniel also defended herself on a conference call in which she participated. two republican senators According to audio, she appeared during the Wayne County Commission meeting to urge them not to certify the 2020 election results.
“They voted no. They didn’t vote not to certify. They said, ‘You know, we need an audit.’ Wayne County has had some issues,” McDaniel argued. “They said, ‘As investigators, we think we need to get an audit before we certify.'”
She countered that these officials were “called very vicious, very vile names” and later endured threats to change their votes and be “left reeling.”
“No one should be intimidated, bullied or forced to change their vote, and that’s what happened to them,” said McDaniel, a Wayne County resident and former Michigan Republican Party chairman. ” he said.
The former RNC chief also weighed in on the use of RNC funds to cover Trump’s legal costs. Technically, the RNC will take the donations and funnel them to President Trump’s Save America PAC, which has already spent tens of millions of dollars to cover his legal costs. There is.
“As long as the donors know that’s what they’re doing,” McDaniel said. “I think he’s been very open that they’re cooperating with his case.”
Under her watch, the RNC helped pay for some of Trump’s legal costs, but that ended when Trump launched his 2024 bid in November 2022.
