The under-fire chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, has announced her intention to step down to allow Donald Trump to install a new party leader once he is confirmed as the GOP presidential nominee.
McDaniel said she would step aside on March 8, three days after a slew of Super Tuesday primaries that are expected to seal Trump’s nomination.
Appointed to the post in 2017 soon after Trump entered the White House, McDaniel, 50, has become a lightning rod for MAGA frustrations despite being seen as a competent fundraiser. She is the niece of Trump foe and former GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
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Her departure follows criticism from Trump himself, who has already started appointing a new, more Trump-friendly RNC leadership—with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump penciled in as co-chair.
“I have decided to step aside at our spring training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a chair of their choosing,” McDaniel said in a statement first sent to The New York Times.
She noted that the RNC had “historically” changed its leadership when a presidential nominee is named, “and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition. I remain committed to winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November.”
Describing her seven years in the post as the “honor of a lifetime,” she added: “Some of my proudest accomplishments include firing Nancy Pelosi, winning the popular vote in 2022, creating an Election Integrity Department, building the committee’s first small dollar grassroots donor program, strengthening our state parties through our Growing Republican Organizations to Win program, expanding the Party through minority outreach at our community centers, and launching Bank Your Vote to get Republicans to commit to voting early.”
