The uproar was predictable and immediate when former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel took a job as a paid contributor on NBC News and its affiliated platforms on Friday. And it barely died out over the weekend. In fact, it got worse.
Chuck Todd demanded an apology from the network’s head during an appearance on NBC’s premier Sunday news show, “Meet the Press.” Current MSNBC host Simone Sanders-Townsend, herself a Democratic political operative, talked about McDaniel in her first interview with her new colleague, MTP host Kristen Welker. mocked on social media. Welker was forced At the beginning of the show, she explained that she had nothing to do with McDaniel’s hiring and publicly questioned the analyst’s integrity. MSNBC President Rashida Jones assured furious staff that McDaniel would not appear on the airwaves of NBC’s leftist cable affiliate.
So far, bringing in McDaniel, a Donald Trump acolyte, has been a big mistake for NBC News. McDaniel has been tainted in liberal eyes for his association with stolen election rhetoric and efforts to overturn President Biden’s 2020 victory.
NBC News political director Carrie Budoff Brown defended her hiring in a memo Friday, saying, “There has never been a more important moment to have Rona’s voice on our team.” . But social media went wild, with former MSNBC officials like Keith Olbermann and Steve Schmidt declaring it an atrocity, and current MSNBC columnists airing their concerns. Left-leaning media critics also made no secret of their disdain, and networks felt the heat.
NBC’s Chuck Todd slams network bosses on air for hiring Ronna McDaniel as analyst, demands apology
Ronna McDaniel interviews NBC News’ Kristen Welker on March 24, 2024. (Screenshot/NBC)
An MSNBC official said. fox news digital Sunday that McDaniel was a liar, a gaslighter, and would never be welcome on their show. Staff members were furious that Brown misrepresented McDaniel’s arrest as a major bust, and Jones and other network executives said they never anticipated such a fierce backlash when hiring her. added.
”[McDaniel] “It would be mind-boggling that whoever this person hired was the right person,” another MSNBC official told Fox News Digital.
They added, “Tim Russert would be furious,” referring to longtime “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert, who died in 2008.
They confirmed earlier reports that Mr. Jones told MSNBC staff that Mr. McDaniel did not need to appear on the show.
McDaniel appeared on NBC for the first time since taking office on Sunday’s “Meet the Press.” The interview was initially billed as his first since resigning from the RNC earlier this month, but Welker told viewers beforehand that it was a “news” conversation and that McDaniel’s hiring and was in the strange position of explaining something that had nothing to do with it. .
Welker questions whether former President Trump ousted her from the RNC job, whether he really intends to run a neutral primary given his call for Nikki Haley’s resignation, and Trump’s concerns about the president on January 1. A controversial interview ensued in which Welker was questioned about his rhetoric and other issues. Six rioters, how she cooperated with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and whether McDaniel can be trusted.
Ronna McDaniel clashes with NBC News host in heated interview: ‘Do I owe this country an apology?’
Ronna McDaniel and Chuck Todd. (Getty Images)
In a panel discussion after the interview, Todd fired back at the network’s leaders, saying they should apologize to Welker. According to PoliticoWelker and the show’s producers knew in advance that Todd would be leaving when Welker replaced him as host of the show, and they did nothing to dissuade Todd.
“I think our boss owes you an apology for putting you in this situation, because you don’t know what to believe,” he fumed.
“You booked this interview and then all of a sudden the rug is pulled out from under you and you find out she’s getting paid to appear on it? That’s a shame for this show, but make the best of it.” I’m glad I did,” Todd said later. Added.
The show devoted an entire panel section to discussing the interview that followed. The Boston Globe’s Kimberly Atkins Stoll said McDaniel’s credibility had been “totally shattered.” Todd said he didn’t deserve to be on the NBC News roster.
“When we do deals like this, and I’ve been with this company a long time, you’re doing it for access. Access to an audience, sometimes access to an individual.” he said, then added. “I don’t think the operatives in Washington are going to bring to the network what they want to bring to the network. I understand the motivation, but I think the execution was poor this time.”
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, the show’s hosts also criticized the appointment and said she would not be a guest on the show.
“To be clear, we believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to balance our election coverage,” co-host Mika Brzezinski said. “But it should be a conservative Republican, not someone who used his position of power to deny an anti-democratic election.”
Mr. McDaniel is not the first political operative to land a plum television appearance on NBC or another network. Biden’s first press secretary, Jen Psaki, and former Kamala Harris staffer Sanders Townsend both host MSNBC shows. But just as when Trump chief of staff Mick Mulvaney joined CBS, there was an immediate media outcry over anyone associated with Trump.
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NBC News host Kristen Welker and former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel clash in their first interview since NBC hired her as an analyst. (Screenshot/NBC)
Pac News reported McDaniel was reportedly given a contract worth $300,000 a year. A former senior NBC staffer told FOX News Digital that while the reported salaries may not be high for A-list contributors, they are still higher than what MSNBC producers and senior producers make, and that Trump supporters He said it could provoke anger. You can land such numbers.
McDaniel and NBC News spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
During his interview with Welker, McDaniel defended his record at the RNC, which included three consecutive terms and painful election losses. He also appeared to backtrack on previous statements by Biden that the 2020 election was unfair, but said he didn’t mind asking questions.
“He won fair and square. He was certified. It’s over…I think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020. And that doesn’t mean he’s not the legitimate president,” she said. Told.
Sanders-Townsend gleefully watched from social media as McDaniel was questioned.
“Baby, Kristen Welker has Ronna Romney McDaniel in the hot seat,” she wrote to X.
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Overall, it wasn’t a warm welcome to the new members of NBC News.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
