As the race for Republican National Committee (RNC) chair intensifies with Harmeet Dhillon and Ronna McDaniel battling for the position, President Donald Trump affirmed his neutrality, saying, “Let them fight it out.”
When asked about his choice for RNC chair on RAV’s “The Water Cooler” show Monday, Trump said: “Well, I can honestly say I like both of them. I mean, I get along with both of them. I haven’t taken a stance, you know. Let them fight it out.”
President Trump praised both candidates, saying Dhillon has “done a great job” as one of his lawyers and that McDaniel is “very good.”
McDaniel was selected by Trump to lead the RNC in 2016 and was reelected as chairwoman in 2019 and 2021, Fox News reported.
However, tension has grown within the Republican Party, with many calling on McDaniel to resign from the post.
According to RSBN, the Republican Party of Arizona passed a resolution in December asking for McDaniel to step down and calling on the RNC to welcome a new leader. Calls to elect a new committee leader comes after Republicans delivered mixed results during the 2022 midterm elections.
“The Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Arizona hereby formally calls on the resignation of Ronna Romney McDaniel as Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee and thanks her for her tireless work for the past 6 years,” the resolution states.
Announcing her bid for RNC chair on Tucker Carlson Tonight last month, Dhillon said Republicans need to “radically reshape” the party’s leadership to win elections.
“Republicans are tired of losing. And I think that we really need to radically reshape our leadership in order to win,” Dhillon stated. “We can’t keep running elections like we did in the 90s and the 2000s. We really have to modernize to compete with the Democrats … Our messaging needs to be fresh and positive, and not just reactive to news cycles and what the Democrats are doing.”
Dhillon added, “I’m a member of the RNC and no other member is stepping up to challenge leadership. Our current leadership has never been challenged for the chair job and I think challenge and competition is very good. And so, I’m hoping to gain the support of grassroots Americans who do not like the direction of the party and its leadership.”
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is also challenging McDaniel. “We have a country to save and I intend to help our Great Republican leaders across this country do that,” he said, per RSBN.
According to Fox News, the candidates will attempt to persuade the 168 RNC committee members for votes next week as the committee gathers for their annual winter meeting in California. The members will vote for the RNC chair on Jan. 27.
