Former president Donald Trump strongly hinted Sunday that RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is on the way out. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Channel's Maria Bartiromo, "You have to understand, I have nothing to do with the RNC; I'm separate," said Trump, "I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me, I think she did OK initially in the RNC. I would say right now there will probably be some changes made."
The RNC is having its ass handed to it by the DNC in fundraising. In 2023, the RNC raised $87.2 million and finished with $8 million cash. That is the worst performance since 2013 and exponentially worse than any pre-presidential election year fundraising in the last 20 years. The DNC raised $119 million and had $21 million cash on hand.
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The RNC's Latest Cash-on-Hand Numbers Are a Catastrophe, and Republicans Can't Sit on Their Hands
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As RedState has documented, the problems at Ronna McDaniel's RNC are more than moribund fundraising. Under McDaniel, the RNC did not play in Virginia's hugely important 2023 election, leaving viable candidates high and dry.
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Republicans Are About to Get Caught With Their Pants Down in Virginia's Elections
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While McDaniel might not be breaking records at raising money, she's shown a talent for spending it. RedState's managing editor, Jennifer Van Laar, has documented the mismanagement and lack of focus on winning elections. For instance, the RNC shut down 75 percent of its Hispanic outreach centers, effectively ceding a critical demographic in some swing states to the Democrats. At the end of 2022, the RNC operated "nearly two dozen Hispanic Outreach Centers" with the intent of making them permanent community fixtures. Only five remain.
READ: RNC Shut Down 75 Percent of Its Hispanic Outreach Centers, Claims Money Isn't the Issue
More damning is the spending on luxury items such as limousines, floral arrangements. There is a certain consistency in the profligate use of donor money. In December 2022, RedState reported:
Our review found that the amounts spent during the 2021-22 election cycle seem to have been par for the course and possibly even lower than previous portions of McDaniel’s tenure. According to FEC filings, since 2017, the RNC has spent:
- $3.1 million on private jet services
- $1.3 million on limousine/chauffeur services
- $17.1 million on donor mementos
- $750,000 on floral arrangements
- $80,000 in alcohol-related expenditures
Nearly $400,000 has been spent on event tickets and other entertainment activities, including $30,000 for a private box at a Las Vegas Raiders game, $13,000 for Broadway shows, $9,400 at Madison Square Garden, and $43,000 at Top Golf locations in Texas, Nevada, Virginia, and Maryland.
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EXCLUSIVE: RNC Spent $1.5 Million on Floral Arrangements, Limos, Management/Media Consultants
Van Laar's most recent report, released this week, caused quite a stir at the RNC's winter meeting in Las Vegas. That report showed that the spending on overhead and frivolous items had continued through November 30, 2023, and that during the same time period, the DNC greatly outspent the RNC in the areas of voter file maintenance, GOTV texting, and transfers to state parties.
Throughout it all, McDaniel has resolutely refused to critically examine the RNC's manifest failures as a political organization or make any effort to change course. Self-congratulation and blame-shifting seem to be the order of the day.
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Not to put too fine a point on it, but Donald Trump put Ronna McDaniel in her job and came to her rescue when she faced a challenger for the job. It is only fitting that Donald Trump is the guy who must clean up this mess.
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BREAKING: Ronna McDaniel Re-Elected RNC Chair at Meeting in Dana Point
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If Trump can step up, give her the boot, and fix the problem, I'll feel one helluva lot better about 2024.
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