New York — Two sources say Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and former President Donald Trump discussed resigning in a private meeting and agreed to postpone a decision until after South Carolina's primary this month.
The sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal discussions, said McDaniel has not resigned as GOP political machine leader. After Trump openly questioned her appointment, McDaniel faces renewed pressure from a party group that has long opposed her.
Trump and McDaniel addressed her possible resignation as one of many RNC leadership changes in a polite private meeting Monday in Florida. They decided to postpone final judgments until after South Carolina's Feb. 24 primary, in which Trump seeks to defeat his last major competitor, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a native and governor.
Nothing has changed,” RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said. After South Carolina, decide.” McDaniel's possible resignation shows Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement's rising clout in GOP affairs ahead of a new general election. The 50-year-old Michigan native was handily elected to a fourth two-year term a year ago, becoming the longest-serving Republican Party chair since the Civil War despite criticism from Trump's hardline friends.
With Trump's hold on a third presidential nomination tightening, MAGA voices have gained influence in the previous year. Late Tuesday, RNC members debated prospective replacements on social media, including North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley, who has links to Trump and the Republican establishment.
Whatley, the RNC's chief counsel, claims that recruiting an army of attorneys before the 2020 election prevented Democratic voting fraud. Despite Trump's backing, he failed to become RNC co-chair last year.
Arizona RNC member Tyler Bowyer posted on X that Whatley, “Ronna’s pick,” and South Carolina RNC co-chair Drew McKissick were already fighting for leadership.
Leading far-right activists have strongly criticized McDaniel for the GOP's political troubles since Trump's 2016 win. Even if Trump officially and privately supported Mitt Romney's niece, McDaniel. Trump appointed her committee chair in 2017.
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