Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is reportedly joining NBC News as an on-air contributor after resigning from her political position.
McDaniel made the move three weeks after resigning from her post after the South Carolina primary. Former North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley currently serves as the RNC’s chairman beside former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who is the co-chair.
She is set to make her first debut on this upcoming Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press,” according to The New York Times. She is also expected to appear on MSNBC to give commentary.
Carrie Budoff Brown, the overseer of NBC News’s political coverage, said McDaniel will provide “an insider’s perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party,” according to the Times.
Of Course. 🤡👉Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel Moves to NBC News As Commentator https://t.co/APtjNTvAdu
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) March 22, 2024
“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Brown wrote in a memo, according to the Times.
McDaniel, who had served as the committee chairwoman since 2016, won her fourth term as the chairwoman in January 2023, after attorney Harmeet Dhillon and entrepreneur Mike Lindell challenged her. She received major pressure after the Republican Party faced considerable losses in the 2022 midterm election. (RELATED: Trump-Endorsed Candidate Throws Hat In Ring To Succeed Ronna McDaniel As RNC Chair)
Republican National Committee Chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, hands the gavel to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, before he speaks at the opening of the first day of the Republican National Convention, meeting in the Richardson Ballroom, Charlotte Convention Center on August 24, 2020, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the roll call vote to renominate Donald Trump to be President of the United States and Mike Pence to be Vice President. (Photo by CHRIS CARLSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Ronna McDaniel (C) takes pictures with guests during the America First Agenda Summit, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on July 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. Former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to Washington today to deliver the keynote closing address at the summit. The America First Agenda Summit is put on by the American First Policy Institute, a conservative think-tank founded in 2021 by Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow, both former advisors to former President Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: (L-R) Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Ronna McDaniel talks with House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) during the America First Agenda Summit, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on July 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. Former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to Washington today to deliver the keynote closing address at the summit. The America First Agenda Summit is put on by the American First Policy Institute, a conservative think-tank founded in 2021 by Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow, both former advisors to former President Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 24: Chair of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel stands on stage in an empty Mellon Auditorium while addressing the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the Republican Party to move away from an in-person convention to a televised format, similar to the Democratic Party’s convention a week earlier. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Many within the RNC grew concerned about the organization’s finances due to major donations dropping before the 2024 elections. The RNC had the lowest amount of cash on hand since 2015, holding only $9.1 million, according to financial records released by The Washington Post.
Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC political analyst Jen Psaki (L) and US actress and comedian Chelsea Handler (R) speak at the “Featured Session: Chelsea Handler and Jen Psaki during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, on March 10, 2023. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
McDaniel then came under fire with 2024 Republican presidential candidates, most notably former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who repeatedly criticized her leadership during the debates and called on her to resign. Ramaswamy launched a petition to replace McDaniel on a website called FireRonna.com.