Ronna McDaniel, Former R.N.C. Chair, Joins NBC News

March 22, 2024

Ronna McDaniel, who stepped down as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee this month, is joining NBC News as an on-air contributor, the network said on Friday.

The hire adds a reliably conservative voice to NBC’s stable of political analysts. Ms. McDaniel is also expected to provide commentary on MSNBC, NBC’s left-leaning cable cousin and a network that former President Donald J. Trump and his allies often accuse of being an arm of the Democratic Party.

“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Carrie Budoff Brown, who oversees NBC News political coverage, wrote in a memo, adding that Ms. McDaniel would provide “an insider’s perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party.” Ms. McDaniel will be especially involved in the coverage of the 2024 campaign, including election nights.

She was selected by Mr. Trump to lead the Republican Party after she spearheaded his 2016 presidential campaign victory in Michigan. As party chairwoman, she occasionally clashed with Mr. Trump. Last year, he complained about her decision to sponsor multiple Republican presidential primary debates, one of which was hosted by NBC, with Mr. Trump’s rivals.

In February, Ms. McDaniel urged Republicans to unite behind Mr. Trump after his victory in the New Hampshire primary, irking Nikki Haley, his rival who had not yet dropped out of the race. Mr. Trump has since installed his daughter-in-law and a close adviser to lead the R.N.C., tightening his hold over the party.

Other prominent Republican commentators at NBC News include Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, and Brendan Buck, a former top aide to Paul Ryan and John Boehner. Since the start of the Biden administration, MSNBC has hired Jen Psaki, President Biden’s first press secretary, and Symone D. Sanders, a former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ms. McDaniel’s NBC debut will be on this Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press.”