Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel will no longer join NBC after immediate backlash

Ronna McDaniel will no longer join NBC News as a contributor, after a mutiny by some network employees raised concerns about the former Republican National Committee chair – including on air.

NBC announced last week that McDaniel would serve as a political analyst, contributing to both NBC News and MSNBC. But Cesar Conde, NBC Universal news group chairman, confirmed in a message to the network’s employees Tuesday that the deal was off.

“There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group. After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor,” Conde said in the memo.

“No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal,” he added, apologizing to “team members who felt we let them down.”  

The hire immediately drew criticism from some NBC employees and viewers, who took particular aim at McDaniel’s attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She has long alleged without evidence that there were issues with the 2020 race for the White House, which President Joe Biden won. She also reportedly pressured election officials not to certify the results of the contest.

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The concerns targeting McDaniel came to a head on Sunday, just one day after NBC announced her role.  

McDaniel was interviewed on “Meet the Press” by host Kristen Welker, addressing the 2020 election, the Capitol riot and her fractures with former President Donald Trump. But after the interview, former “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd criticized NBC mid-show and accused McDaniel of having “credibility issues.”

“There’s a reason why there are a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination," Todd said.  

“So when NBC made the decision to give her NBC News’s credibility, you got to ask yourself, ‘What does she bring NBC News?’” he added. 

A person close to McDaniel who requested anonymity told USA TODAY that the former RNC chair "hasn’t heard from NBC and found out about her termination through the media.”

Contributing: David Jackson and Savannah Kuchar