Ronna McDaniel, former RNC chair, joins NBC News as political analyst

WASHINGTON – Ronna McDaniel, who resigned from her role as chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month, will join NBC News as a political analyst. 

The former head of the RNC will make her debut on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday and she is expected to contribute to both NBC News and MSNBC. 

“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Carrie Budoff Brown, senior vice president of NBC’s political coverage, said in a memo shared with the New York Times on Friday.

McDaniel stepped down from the RNC after facing criticism from former President Donald Trump and his allies for holding presidential primary debates and the organization’s spending decisions.

During her tenure as head of the RNC, McDaniel frequently criticized the press as "fake news," echoing Trump's regular attacks on the media.

Following McDaniel’s resignation, Trump endorsed Michael Whatley, chair of the North Carolina state Republican party and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to succeed McDaniel as co-chairs. Earlier this month, the RNC elected both to lead the party, tightening Trump’s grip on the GOP. 

McDaniel will join Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence and Brendan Buck, a former top House leadership aide in NBC’s lineup of Republican commentators.