Trump meets with Ronna McDaniel – then calls for changes at Republican National Committee

McDaniel is the longest-serving Republican National Committee chair in modern history

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel explains the GOP benefits from having a presidential nominee sooner rather than later

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel tells Fox News Digital she looks forward to the end of the GOP nomination race in order to focus on beating President Biden.

As he moves closer to securing the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump is getting ready to call for changes at the GOP's national party committee. 

The former president met on Monday with Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, sources confirmed to Fox News.

Trump wrote in his Truth Social platform following the meeting that McDaniel was a "friend" but that he would be urging changes at the RNC after the Feb. 24 South Carolina GOP presidential primary, which is the next major contest in the Republican 2024 nominating calendar.

"Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth," the former president wrote.

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Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Las Vegas ahead of GOP caucus

Former President Donald Trump motions before speaking at a campaign event Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Loche)

In an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo, Trump said of McDaniel: "I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me."

The former president pointed to McDaniel's previous tenure as chair of the Michigan GOP.

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"I think she did OK, initially, in the RNC. I would say right now, there’ll probably be some changes made," he added.

McDaniel is the longest-serving RNC chair in modern history. She was nominated by Trump soon after his presidential election victory in 2016, and she won re-election in 2019, 2021, and January of last year. 

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel re-elected

Re-elected Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel holds a gavel while speaking at the committee's winter meeting in Dana Point, California, Jan. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

While she ended up easily winning her last re-election, she faced a vocal faction of far-right detractors who viewed her as too close to the party’s establishment wing.

She’s also come under plenty of criticism in recent months over the RNC’s finances.

Alarms are ringing over the party’s fundraising heading into the general election. The RNC ended 2023 with just $8 million in cash on hand, less than half as much as the Democratic National Committee. 

But as Fox News Digital was first to report, the RNC did haul in $12 million in January, its best monthly fundraising haul in the 2024 election cycle.

GOP debate stage

The second Republican presidential debate stage at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. (Fox News)

And Trump, who is the commanding frontrunner for the Republican nomination as he bids for the White House a third straight time, was angry at McDaniel and the RNC in recent months for holding GOP presidential primary debates, which he skipped.

When she won re-election last year, McDaniel said in an interview with Fox News that it would be her last two-year term steering the national party committee.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Authored by Paul Steinhauser via FoxNews February 6th 2024