Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, during the many talks she and former President Donald Trump had last fall over her refusal to cancel the party's primary debates, at one point offered to resign if he became the GOP presidential nominee and wanted her out, according to a new report.
He turned down the offer, but the exchanges mark how far the relationship between Trump and his 2016 Michigan campaign chairman in Michigan has dropped over the years, The Washington Post reported Thursday, based its claims on interviews with 14 Republicans close to Trump and McDaniel, who he chose to chair the RNC in late 2016.
The latest chapter in McDaniel's eventual departure comes after she met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida earlier this month and then came to a head Monday when he released a statement suggesting North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to co-chair the RNC and his campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, to be its chief operating officer.
People who talked to McDaniel said his statement hurt her, even though he did not mention her name.
She has not responded publicly but is reportedly trying to schedule a meeting in March so members can formally approve Trump's pick to replace her.
McDaniel's achievements include launching WinRed, the small-dollar platform for GOP donors, and her fundraising prowess that allowed her to help raise $1.5 billion for the RNC. She has also created a permanent department that funds election-related lawsuits.
Even though she won a record four elections as chair, McDaniel has often angered Trump in recent years and the party has been losing or underperforming in state and national elections.
Her political pedigree has also brought criticism from the right wing of the party, as she is the niece of Sen. Mitt Romney and the granddaughter of late Gov. George Romney.
Many of Trump's issues with McDaniel reportedly were financial, with the Trump campaign arguing that the RNC was not doing enough to support it financially.
McDaniel's separations from Trump grew more last fall after Republican donors in Houston criticized her to Trump and said they might quit donating.
She has also come under fire after the RNC's disclosure that it had about $9 million in cash on hand, or about half of the Democratic National Committee's $17.7 million total, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Trump has repeatedly complained that McDaniel did not back his claims of election fraud from the 2020 election or do more to stop states from changing election laws during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the calls to end McDaniels' tenure at the RNC have grown more since November, when then-candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, during a debate in Miami, called on her to step down.
Newsmax is seeking comment from McDaniel and the RNC.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.