(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Ronna McDaniel, the former RNC chair turned NBC News contributor, spoke candidly about former President Donald Trump’s decision to request her ouster earlier this year. Even more revealing were her statements regarding the specific reason for her dismissal.
In her inaugural appearance on the Sunday edition of NBC News’s Meet the Press, McDaniel mentioned that her infamous decision to host primary debates marked the beginning of her disagreements with Trump regarding the direction of the party.
“We did have debates and there was tension and a little friction that started during that process,” McDaniel said in response to host Kristen Welker’s query about what soured her relationship with Trump.
“I knew at that point when I was doing that role and we were going to have debates that when the nominee came forward and it was likely to be President Trump that they would want to switch, and that’s his right as a nominee,” she added.
When pressed about whether Trump pressured her to leave, McDaniel responded, “He absolutely wanted me to move aside and wanted Michael Whatley and Lara Trump to come in.”
Welker revisited the primary debate topic, asking whether there was a “breaking point” between McDaniel and Trump.
In response, McDaniel stated: “It was a lot of tension with the campaign. He really did not feel like we should have debates. He said this publicly. I got a lot of phone calls … from everybody in his campaign, and I did talk to him directly.”
Despite the backlash against the debates, even from some RNC members themselves, McDaniel asserted that those who did not support Trump deserved an opportunity to hear from other candidates.
“Listen, there are a lot of people who support President Trump in our party, but there are others who didn’t and they needed to see that process to play out to say this was fair, my candidate was given an opportunity to speak to the American people,” she told Welker.
She further remarked, “The voters decided, and this is the nominee, and because we let that process play out he’s the nominee without a third party running against him which is the opposite of what the Democrats did.”
McDaniel served as the RNC chair from 2017 until 2024, following consecutive losses within the party. She ultimately resigned as chair amid widespread criticism and calls for her resignation.
Trump seemed to concur, hinting at her imminent departure in mid-February. McDaniel announced she would step down after the Super Tuesday primaries, held on March 5.
McDaniel is now an on-air contributor to NBC News and MSNBC.
