RNC leader to resign under pressure from conservatives; Trump sought change amid poor fundraising

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel is planning to resign, party sources told The Washington Times.

The news came just a day after she met with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where they discussed her future with the party. Her departure from her RNC post is expected to be happen not long after the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 24.

Ms. McDaniel is likely to receive a soft landing within the party, possibly with a post in the Trump campaign or another job in the conservative ecosphere, people inside the RNC were saying Tuesday.

“Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina,” RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said in a statement to The Times.

However the pieces are moved on the Republican Party board, Ms. McDaniel will clear the way for new leadership at the RNC amid poor fundraising and growing dissatisfaction with her leadership.

She is looking to support North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, who was endorsed by Mr. Trump for co-chair last year. Mr. Whatley was defeated in that contest by Drew Mc-Cissick, South Carolina Republican Party chairman.

An election for chair and co-chair would be required among the RNC’s 168 members, and it must be a man-woman team, so if the chair is a man, the co-chair must be a woman and vice versa.

As for other staffers at the RNC, Ms. McDaniel’s chief of staff, Mike Reed, announced his resignation early Tuesday.

Some suggest that the Trump campaign could bring in its own political people from the campaign to replace the political director and other key staffers at the RNC, effectively putting his camp in charge of the operation.

Since her reelection battle for RNC chair in 2023, Ms. McDaniel has faced criticism from conservative factions allied with Mr. Trump and calls for her removal from her the post.

Mr. Trump said Tuesday that he had changes in mind for RNC and planned to reveal them after the South Carolina primary later this month, but events quickly gain momentum.

“Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social. The South Carolina primary is slated for Feb. 24.

The RNC has been struggling with fundraising and conservative activists’ calls to oust Ms. Mc-Daniel, who has been party chair since Mr. Trump hand-picked her for the job in 2017.

One of the highest-profile calls came from thencandidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a presidential primary debate in November, when he called on her to resign after the Republican losses in Virginia that month and the party’s record since 2018.

He made a theatrical gesture, offering to yield his time so that Ms. McDaniel, who was present at the debate, could “come on stage” and announce her resignation.

She shot back at Mr. Ramaswamy during an interview on Fox News by telling host Laura Ingraham that Republican voters are tired of the “circular firing squad” within the party.

“When Vivek didn’t vote in 2016, I was leading Michigan to the first win in history in 30 years,” Ms. McDaniel said.

Another of her loudest critics is conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA, who tried to get her ousted last year. He has called the RNC staff “a pack of losers.”

“They don’t even know what winning is,” he said on his radio show last week.

At issue is the party’s finances this election cycle. Campaign finance disclosures released this month showed the RNC had $8 million in the bank and $1 million in debt, which is less than half of what the Democratic National Committee had in December.

In a recent Fox News interview, Mr. Trump also forecast changes ahead for the RNC.

“I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did OK, initially, in the RNC,” he said. “I would say right now, there’ll probably be some changes made.”