Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, is neither confirming nor denying rumors that she’s stepping down from her role.
In an apparent RNC email posted on X by Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, Ms. McDaniel wrote she and her staff are “refusing to be distracted by the outside noise, and we remain committed to our mission.”
A person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Epoch Times that the email is authentic.
“Rumors to the contrary are simply not true,” said Ms. McDaniel. “Nothing has changed, and there will not be any changes decided on until after South Carolina, when we may have our eventual nominee.”
On Feb. 6, The New York Times reported that Ms. McDaniel was planning to step down shortly after the Feb. 24 South Carolina GOP presidential primary. This news came after a Feb. 4 interview in which former President Donald Trump called for “some changes“ at the RNC.
President Trump will campaign for Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, to lead the party’s national committee, according to the NY Times.
“I am still hard at work as RNC Chairwoman and building a machine that will elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” Ms. McDaniel wrote. “I am proud of this committee and our work together over the past several cycles. I know you are working diligently in your states alongside state, local, and grassroots leaders toward victory this fall.”
Ms. McDaniel, who’s held the RNC’s top spot since 2017, is facing mounting pressure over the party’s fundraising. On Jan. 31, 2023, the party disclosed it had its worst fundraising year in a decade and has its lowest cash on hand since 2014.
The RNC entered 2024 with $8 million in the bank and $1.8 million in debt, according to its disclosures with the Federal Election Commission.
While he was still running for president, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy was a harsh critic of Ms. McDaniel. He said the GOP had become a party of losers under her stewardship and repeatedly called on her to resign.
President Trump is steaming toward a third selection as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. Amid numerous state and federal legal challenges, President Trump won the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23 and the Republican Party of Iowa’s caucus on Jan. 15.
On Feb. 5, in a non-binding vote that assigned no delegates to the RNC’s summer convention, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley lost to “none of these candidates“ in the Nevada Republican primary; President Trump wasn’t on the ballot. Instead, he opted to run in the Nevada Caucus, which will award delegates. Ms. Haley isn’t running in the Feb. 8 contest.
Going into the South Carolina primary, the only remaining significant challenger is Ms. Haley. A native of Bamberg, South Carolina, and the Palmetto State’s governor from January 2011 to January 2017, she is polling well behind President Trump in South Carolina.
The latest major poll, conducted by Morning Consult and published on Feb. 7, found President Trump leads Ms. Haley by 37 points. Other polls show similar results.
Ms. Haley has pledged to stay in the race through at least Super Tuesday on March 5. However, her already narrow path to the nomination will continue to shrink if President Trump wins her home state as he is projected to do.
On Feb. 5, President Trump posted on his Truth Social account that he plans on “making a decision the day after” the South Carolina vote on his “recommendations” for the RNC’s “growth.” In the same post, he called Ms. McDaniel a friend.
