RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel told Trump she’d resign as chair

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told former President Donald Trump during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago Monday that she would step down from her role in the party, a GOP source told CBS News.

McDaniel told Trump that she’s a “team player” and will do what’s in the best interest of the party. Trump and McDaniel plan to discuss her future after the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24. 

After the meeting, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he would “be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth.” 

“Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina,” RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper told CBS News in a statement Tuesday night. 

The news, first reported by the The New York Times, comes with increased calls from within the Republican party for McDaniel to step down. She has been chairwoman of the RNC since 2017 and had just won a fourth term as chair in January.

But in 2023, the RNC had its worst fundraising year in a decade, and it entered 2024 with just $8 million in its coffers, its lowest cash on hand since 2014, according to FEC reports. 

In January, a resolution was circulated within the RNC to name Trump the “presumptive nominee,” even with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley still in the race, but the petition was later withdrawn. 

If Trump were to win the GOP nomination, he would have access to the RNC’s data and ground operations, as well as its fundraising arm and legal fund. Last year, the former president’s legal bills added up to about $50 million, according to FEC reports. 

In November, then-presidential candidate and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy called on McDaniel to step down at the Miami Republican primary debate, and he also launched a petition to oust McDaniel.

“There is a cancer in the Republican establishment,” Ramaswamy said, pointing at McDaniel from the debate stage.

Trump has also cast doubt on McDaniel’s future as chair twice this week in interviews. 

“I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did okay, initially. I would say right now there’ll probably be some changes made,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. 

And in an interview Monday night with Newsmax, Trump was asked if it was time for McDaniel to step aside as chair.

“Well, I think she knows that. I think she understands that,” Trump said.  

Musadiq Bidar and Shaan Sachdev contributed to this report.

Fin Gómez

Fin Gómez is the Political Director for CBS News. Fin oversees the day-to-day political coverage for CBS News. He has covered five presidential political cycles and multiple presidential campaigns. He was formerly a member of the CBS White House unit.