In the end, there was a possibility that there would have been a fist fight within the party, but everything turned out okay.
Members of the Republican National Committee gathering for its annual winter meeting in Las Vegas this week are unlikely to see any political fireworks over the party’s divisive presidential primary battle.
The RNC told Fox News it is aiming for a “productive week” with the goal of “providing turnkey infrastructure to our final nominees.”
And as the RNC gathered in a meeting long touted as closed to the press, a resolution declaring former President Trump the party’s presumptive nominee in 2024 was introduced last week by Trump allies on the committee. It was quickly withdrawn in the second half. .
Controversial Trump resolution withdrawn ahead of RNC meeting
former president trump (AP Photo/John Roche)
Trump remains the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, aiming for a third consecutive year in the White House. The former president has won double-digit wins in the past two weeks in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the first two races on the Republican nomination calendar.
But Nikki Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations and former two-term governor of South Carolina, is Trump’s last remaining major rival, winning 43% of the vote in last week’s New Hampshire primary. Haley has vowed to continue her uphill battle at least until Super Tuesday in early March. The next major issue for Republicans will be Haley’s home state, where a primary will be held on February 24th.
RNC Chairman McDaniel says in FOX News interview: “We need to unite” around Trump
The resolution was introduced by David Bossie, a longtime ally of former President Trump and a veteran RNC committee member from Maryland who served as a top official in his 2016 presidential campaign.
Although Trump continues to have tremendous influence over the Republican Party, there was public and private opposition to the draft resolution among some of the RNC’s 168 members. Among those who spoke publicly was Commissioner Bill Palatucci from New Jersey.
A Trump critic close to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told Fox News Digital, “The stupid resolution that says he’s the presumptive nominee is waiting for an opportunity to engage in presidential politics every four years.” It’s an insult to millions of primary voters.” Last Thursday.
“Another example of President Trump’s authoritarian tendencies is, ‘I don’t need Super Tuesday or any other primary, just give it to me,'” he added.
Nikki Haley has pledged to stay in her home state of South Carolina, insisting she still has a path to the nomination. (Alison Joyce/Getty Images)
Perhaps sensing an optics glitch, Trump withdrew the resolution hours later.
“They have more votes than they need, but for the sake of party unity, I don’t think they should go ahead with this plan,” the former president posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Although the rejected resolution was not added to the winter session agenda, it is clear that there will be friction this week over efforts to quickly settle the nomination contest.
“A lot of people are going to be silent on this. They shouldn’t be speaking out. At this point,” one committee member, who requested anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News on the eve of the RNC meeting on Tuesday. Ta. , you know it’s going to be Trump. You’re just supposed to accept it. ”
But he said, “I have no problem with Mr. Bossie bringing that resolution forward. He’s a member of the RNC, he’s his candidate. He’s trying to help the candidate. I understand,” he added.
The RNC said in a statement that longtime chair Ronna McDaniel was not involved in introducing the resolution.
“Resolutions like this one are introduced by members of the RNC. Chairman McDaniel has not introduced the resolution,” spokesman Keith Schipper told Fox News last week.
But days earlier, McDaniel made headlines during an interview with Fox News Channel in New Hampshire, hours after Trump’s primary victory.
“I’m looking at the math and the path forward, and that doesn’t apply to Nikki Haley,” McDaniel told anchors Bret Baier and Martha McCollum.
“I think she ran a great campaign, but I think the message that’s coming out from voters is very clear,” McDaniel added.
“We need to unite around the ultimate nominee, Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we defeat Joe Biden,” she said.
Asked by McCollum whether Haley’s campaign might need to be paused, McDaniel said Haley and her team were “thinking through” the upcoming contests in Nevada and South Carolina. , only answered that they needed to think about “what is most important going forward.” . ”
McDaniel’s comments appear not to have been well received among some national party committee members.
“The RNC has to be neutral,” one committee member, who requested anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News.
“We have a competitive race, head to head. Is there a favorite? Well, there certainly is. But it’s a competitive race. Two states gone. 1,215 to wrap this up. “We’re a long way from having people with delegates,” the RNC member said. “So for her to imply that Nicky needs to withdraw from the race is beyond unpleasant and in no way neutral.”
And Palatucci claimed Tuesday that McDaniel was “never neutral.”
But another RNC committee member, who also requested anonymity, told Fox News, “I think Rona has broad support on the committee, and that was proven when she was reelected a year ago. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything she says.” She does…but she’s the chairperson. ”
Haley said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that the RNC is “clearly not an honest broker” in the nomination race.
“What if you’re basically going to tell the American people that you’re going to decide who the nominee is after just two states vote?” He said it would take 1,215 delegates to secure the nomination. He pointed out that much of it is needed, but has not yet been allocated.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
According to the RNC, the national party committee, referring to this week’s meeting, is “focused on providing turnkey infrastructure to our final candidates. That’s why we are working with 15 states to protect common sense.” “We have deployed field staff and have worked on 77 cases.” Election Integrity Act. ”
“We look forward to a productive week in Las Vegas as we prepare to defeat Biden and win top and bottom on the November ballot,” said RNC national press secretary Anna Kelly. added.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is running against former President Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News Digital last week, McDaniel emphasized the benefits of ending the Republican nomination race early.
“It definitely helps from an organizational standpoint and from a fundraising standpoint,” McDaniel said. “Democrats have the White House. They are leveraging the power of Joe Biden having the White House to raise huge amounts of money. I wish we could quickly consolidate our operations and focus on Biden and not each other.” It’s always a good thing if you can do it for a party. “
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
