Trump’s MAGA forces have threatened to increase the vote for RNC chairman

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NEW YORK (AP) At the end of the week, the Republican National Committee is set to resolve a bitter leadership dispute that has exposed dangerous divisions within the institution charged with choosing the next GOP president.

Insiders believe the days before Friday’s secret ballot at a luxury seaside resort could turn uglier as rebel forces within former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement threaten to escalate RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s re-election bid.

The attacks were led by McDaniel’s chief rival, Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump lawyer who has accused the incumbent of religious bigotry, rampant spending mismanagement and privately saying he can control allegations the former president has denied. said McDaniel. Also in the race is My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist who has garnered enough support to qualify for the ballot.

Trump has not made a public endorsement, but he and his team have privately advocated for McDaniel, whom he tapped for the position after his 2016 victory. However, many Trump loyalists blame McDaniel, the nephew of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, for some of the party’s recent struggles.

In an interview, Dhillon asserted that the overwhelming majority of Republican voters want a change in leadership at the RNC. He warned of serious political consequences for any of the committee’s 168 elected members supporting McDaniels’ re-election.

For party members who vote not according to what the people in their state want but what their self-interest is, the next time they go to the polls, it will be an issue, Dhillon told The Associated Press.

Appreciated Dhillon’s statement, McDaniel said, That sounds like a threat. He condemned the increasingly ugly attacks against him and the divisions plaguing the committee.

There’s nobody who enjoyed this more than Democrats. I know, because I love it when they’re fighting each other, said McDaniel.

Friday’s vote for the RNC chair serves as the latest high-profile leadership test for a deeply divided Republican Party grappling with questions about its future and Trump’s influence ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The infighting was on public display earlier this month as House Republicans nearly imploded before uniting behind House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was undermined by the same MAGA forces threatening McDaniel this week.

In both cases, Trump has struggled to control his own loyalists, who seem intent on fighting the status quo whether it’s McCarthy or McDaniel at all costs.

Seeking to influence the vote, a group of Florida Republicans from the party’s MAGA wing moved on Friday to hold a vote of no confidence in McDaniel, which Republican groups in several states have done in recent weeks as well. But the Florida gathering, which drew McCarthy’s top detractor, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., did not reach the quorum needed to have an official vote.

However, dozens of anti-McDaniel protesters waved signs outside the event. One read, RONNA IS THE ENEMY WITHIN.

The biggest thing is that we want a really strong leader who engages with MAGA, and Ronna just doesn’t have it, Lake County, Florida, GOP Chair Anthony Sabatini, who led the anti-McDaniel push, said in a phone interview. from a shot. range as gunshots rang out. He lost the confidence of the voters.

Trump avoided weighing in on the race for the RNC seat at McDaniel’s request, according to those with direct knowledge of the situation. The former president would endorse him if he asked, but McDaniel’s team currently believes he can win without public support, allowing him to maintain a sense of neutrality heading into the 2024 presidential primary season.

According to its rules, the RNC must remain neutral in the presidential primary. Trump is the only announced GOP candidate so far, but other high-profile contenders are expected in the coming months.

However, Trump could ultimately endorse McDaniel before Friday’s vote if his public support is deemed necessary, according to people familiar with his thinking who, like others interviewed, spoke conditionally. anonymously to share internal discussions.

At least three of Trump’s top lieutenants, senior advisers Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita and Clayton Henson, plan to attend the RNC’s three-day winter meeting this week in Southern California, where the vote will be held. While they weren’t specifically attending on McDaniel’s behalf, Trump’s team has made it clear in private conversations that he supports McDaniel.

McDaniel’s unofficial whip team is expected to include former Trump chief counselor Kellyanne Conway, former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, he said. Another high-profile Trump loyalist, Maryland RNC member David Bossie, also supports McDaniel.

Dhillons’ guest list is still in flux, but he said over the weekend that his team will likely include former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk and country singer John Rich.

After three consecutive disappointing national elections, there is a widespread sense of dissatisfaction among Republican voters and members of the RNC about the health of their party. Some are increasingly eager to move away from Trump and, by proxy, McDaniel, who is viewed as a close Trump ally even though many Trump supporters outside the RNC membership see him as insufficiently committed. to their purpose.

“He’s been Trump’s lap dog for four years, said Bill Palatucci, an RNC member from New Jersey and a vocal critic of Trump and McDaniel. While Palatucci formally endorsed Dhillon last week, he doubted he had the votes to beat McDaniel.

Dhillon has unleashed a powerful attack against McDaniel in recent weeks that has echoed throughout Trump’s MAGA movement. But while the far right rejoices, Dhillon may have alienated would-be supporters from the actual Republican National Committee, which is made up of activists and elected officials from all 50 states.

He found several examples of apparent spending mismanagement and mismanagement under McDaniel’s watch, with McDaniel’s team being backed by former Trump officials as Wiles claimed was inaccurate or misleading.

In recent days, attacks against McDaniel have intensified.

Last week, Dhillon defended claims that a McDaniel ally had raised concerns about Dhillon’s faith in at least one private conversation. Dhillon, who is of Indian heritage, identifies as a member of the Sikh religion.

The McDaniel ally denied the claim, which was outlined in a detailed email to the entire RNC membership with the subject line Religious Bigotry.”

Dhillon also highlighted a Washington Post report that McDaniel said, in multiple private conversations with RNC members, that he was the only one who could stop Trump from launching an independent presidential bid and ultimately destroying the party’s chances in the next presidential election should he fail to win the GOP nomination.

He said this to a lot of people: I’m the only one who can control Trump, Dhillon told the AP, likening such a statement to someone who believes they can stop an asteroid from crashing into Earth.

McDaniel says such claims are ridiculous.

After working with President Trump for six years, I don’t think anyone can say they control him,” McDaniel said.

Meanwhile, McDaniel warned of a grave danger if Republicans cannot stop infighting as the 2024 election season begins. The GOP is well positioned to win the Senate majority and maintain control of the House, although the presidential contest will dominate much of the committee’s focus.

It’s really critical as we go into the 24th that we stop labeling, attacking, demonizing other Republicans to the point where we can’t bring them together after the primary, he said.

For his part, Dhillon said he would of course rally behind McDaniel if he ultimately prevails on Friday.

Job 1 won the election, Dhillon said. I am a team player.

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Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report.

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