WASHINGTON—Ronna McDaniel managed to stay in former President Donald Trump's good graces longer than most, but her tenure as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is coming to an end.
Since 2017, McDaniel has led the RNC, but on Friday, he will step down, highlighting the ephemeral nature of his political alliance with Trump.
He is expected to be replaced by North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley and the former president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Sen. McDaniel, the niece of Mitt Romney (R., Utah), famously dropped her family name after taking over the leadership of the RNC.
She successfully navigated a complicated relationship with Trump over the years, according to RNC members and GOP strategists.
However, tensions arose between McDaniel and Trump advisers over the RNC's role in facilitating a neutral GOP primary, leading to her departure.
Former GOP operative Terry Sullivan described the relationship with Trump as "one-way transactional," noting that individuals are often dropped when they are no longer beneficial to Trump.
Trump has parted ways with several high-profile figures, including former RNC chairman Reince Priebus and John Kelly, as well as fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and fell out with Vice President Mike Pence after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, described the leadership change as typical of the election cycle.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to McDaniel as a "friend" and indicated that he would make recommendations for RNC growth at a later date.
McDaniel said she decided to step aside to allow the nominee to choose the chair, citing RNC tradition.
The RNC plays a critical role in raising hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle for GOP campaigns, managing voter polls, and overseeing the presidential primary debates and national conventions.
McDaniel faces the challenging task of allowing other GOP presidential candidates to compete against Trump in the 2024 primary without upsetting him.
While the RNC chose to hold the primary debates over Trump's objections, Trump ultimately chose not to participate.
McDaniel's tenure was not without controversy.
The RNC stopped paying for Trump's legal fees when he became the 2024 presidential candidate.
However, the party resumed paying some of Trump's legal fees in 2021, including fees related to an investigation into his business dealings by Manhattan prosecutors, leading to internal rifts within the RNC's GOP factions.
Despite the criticism, McDaniel's supporters argue that she has worked effectively with Trump during a tumultuous period, including high turnover in the Trump administration and the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
She and Trump maintained a mostly positive relationship and kept their differences private.
However, many conservatives were displeased with the Democratic takeover of the House in 2018, followed by the Senate and White House in 2020, and the Republicans' narrow margins in retaking the House in 2022.
McDaniel's allies suggest that she became a scapegoat for the party's grassroots, despite the damage caused by Trump-aligned GOP candidates and their false claims of election fraud.
Critics argue that McDaniel failed to address the problems created by Trump.
After the 2022 midterms, she held a brief, upbeat conference call with RNC members without acknowledging that some expected Republicans to win the House by a large margin.
She later scheduled a lengthy discussion in response to the pushback.
According to Illinois RNC member Richard Porter, despite the challenges of her role, McDaniel rarely seemed discouraged.
"In meetings, she'd say, 'If you want boring, get another job,'" he said.