Former RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s sudden departure from NBC News after being hired as a political analyst prompted ex-President Donald Trump to mock her for being fired by the “fake news.” McDaniel had left her position at the RNC at Trump’s request earlier in the month and was hired by NBC to provide political analysis in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump and President Joe Biden are expected to face off again. However, her hiring faced backlash from NBC employees, leading to her dismissal by NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde over concerns about maintaining a cohesive newsroom.
Trump responded to McDaniel’s termination by ridiculing her as a resident of “NEVER NEVERLAND” in a post on his Truth Social platform. He criticized NBC for being influenced by “Radical Left Lunatics” and called for a return to “Free and Fair Press” to “Make America Great Again 2024.” McDaniel had not publicly commented on her firing at the time of publication and was reportedly dropped by her representatives at Creative Artists Agency on the same day. The RNC had not issued a comment on the matter when contacted by Newsweek.
NBC’s decision to hire McDaniel was met with criticism from prominent network personalities, including Chuck Todd, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Lawrence O’Donnell, Nicolle Wallace, and Rachel Maddow, who found the move “inexplicable.” While conservative critics also condemned the hiring over concerns that McDaniel was assisting Democrats, criticism from the left focused on her past support for Trump and his false claims of a stolen 2020 election. During a Meet the Press interview, McDaniel acknowledged Biden as the legitimate president and expressed opposition to releasing individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol attack.
McDaniel had appeared to reverse her previous stances during the Meet the Press interview, admitting that Biden had fairly won the election and acknowledging issues in the 2020 election. She also stated her opposition to pardoning individuals who were involved in the violent acts on January 6, which went against Trump’s plan to pardon the “J6 hostages.” Despite her attempts to clarify her position and speak more openly now that she was no longer leading the RNC, her hiring by NBC ultimately led to her dismissal due to internal concerns about maintaining a cohesive newsroom.
The controversy surrounding McDaniel’s brief tenure at NBC highlighted the tensions within the network and the challenges of balancing political viewpoints in a newsroom environment. Trump’s reaction to her firing underscored the ongoing division between the former president and mainstream media outlets like NBC News. McDaniel’s sudden turn from leading the RNC to being hired by NBC for political analysis reflected the complexities of navigating political allegiances in the media landscape. While the circumstances of her departure from NBC remained unclear, the incident served as a reminder of the ongoing scrutiny faced by individuals who switch roles between politics and media.
