Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem

1 Apr 2024

The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired by NBC and then let go after an outcry.

Ronna McDaniel - Figure 1
Photo The New York Times

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April 1, 2024, 6:00 a.m. ET

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Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race.

On today’s episode

Image

Ronna McDaniel, Former Republican National Committee Chair, appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday March 24, 2024.Credit...William B. Plowman/NBC, via Getty Images
Background reading

Ms. McDaniel’s appointment had been immediately criticized by reporters at the network and by viewers on social media.

The former Republican Party leader tried to downplay her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A review of the record shows she was involved in some key episodes.

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

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