Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has made a return to politics after NBC News tossed out her contract just weeks after the network hired her.
McDaniel, who resigned from the RNC in February 2024, will lead a new nonprofit organization funded by the wealthy DeVos family called Michigan Forward Network, which intends to swing Michigan more conservative, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The former RNC chair has mainly stayed out of the public eye since her resignation from the RNC and her parting of ways from NBC News, who hired her to be an on-air contributor in March 2024.
Before her resignation, McDaniel had been a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump’s. Trump helped get her elected to her top position in 2016. She later faced increased pressure from her fellow Republicans to step down over their track record of losing the then-past three elections. Calls for her resignation escalated after the predicted “red wave” ceased to happen in the 2022 midterm elections.
Trump, who was the leading 2024 Republican candidate, pushed for McDaniel’s removal in early 2024, saying he believed there would be “changes made” during a Feb. 4, 2024, interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. She reportedly informed Trump of her plans to step down during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in February 2024.
Despite her past rift with Trump, McDaniel credited his victory in Michigan in the 2024 election as a reason to focus heavily on the state in future elections.
“President Trump’s historic victory last year showed that Michiganders are sick of extreme policies that have made our communities unsafe, our schools fail, and our state too expensive. I’m excited to work on expanding on that success and getting Michigan back on track,” McDaniel said regarding her new position.
President Trump’s historic victory last year showed that Michiganders are sick of extreme policies that have made our communities unsafe, our schools fail, and our state too expensive.
I’m excited to work on expanding on that success and getting Michigan back on track. https://t.co/Kw1r3DKbu0
— Ronna McDaniel (@RonnaMcDaniel) May 29, 2025
After leaving the RNC, McDaniel signed with NBC News in March 2024 and made her debut appearance on “Meet the Press.” The network faced public backlash from its own employees, including MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, who urged her employer to “reconsider its decision” to hire her over her remarks about the 2020 election results.
In the same “Morning Joe” segment, host Joe Scarborough said he would have “strongly objected” to hiring McDaniel if he were part of the decision-making process due to her statements on the 2020 election.
The now-former NBC News host Chuck Todd said it can never be certain if McDaniel is sincere as she allegedly changes her views. He called on NBC News executives to apologize to “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker for booking an interview with McDaniel.
Two days after making her debut on “Meet the Press,” NBC News caved to pressures by their staff and cut ties with McDaniel. NBCUniversal Group Chairman Cesar Conde issued an apology to his staff “who felt [the network] let them down” by hiring McDaniel, NBC News reported at the time.
Trump mocked McDaniel’s departure in a March 26, 2024 Truth Social post, saying that she was stuck in “never Neverland.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Photo/Jesse Collins/Wikimedia Commons)
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