• by Wayne Friedman , March 27, 2024

NBC News decided to drop Ronna McDaniel, the controversial former chair of the Republican National Committee on Tuesday, as a new on-air commentator, following immediate and widespread criticism and backlash.

The news came four days after NBC News announced McDaniel would be an on-air political analyst for all its platforms and networks.

The outcry largely came from MSNBC on-air anchors who strongly opposed McDaniel because of her continual attacks on journalists in recent years, as well as her claims that their work was “fake news” and her general view of the media as “corrupt” while in her post as RNC chair.

Many were also disturbed by her actions promoting false claims around the 2020 Presidential election vote, as well as helping to recruit poll workers for Trump's fake elector scheme.

Soon after the announcement, in an effort to appease the on-air and off-air backlash, President of MSNBC Rashida Jones told employees that McDaniel would not be an on-air commentator for any shows on the 24-hour cable TV news network.

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, McDaniel admitted that to an extent she was wrong at times -- engaging in certain activities under the guise of  “taking one for the team.” 

On the same show, former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd said: “There’s a reason a lot of journalists at NBC News are uncomfortable with this." He elaborated that under McDaniel the RNC engaged in “gaslighting” and “character assassination” when dealing with the news media.

Todd went on to say to Kristen Welker, the current moderator of “Meet The Press” -- with regard to having to interview McDaniel on the show: “I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.”

On Tuesday, Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, in a memo to employees said: “There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group. After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.”

He went on to say: “While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it.”

Conde added: “Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times.”