Trump on race for RNC chair: ‘I like them both’

Former President Trump declined to endorse a candidate for next month’s election to determine the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) during an interview with Breitbart.

Ronna McDaniel, who has led the committee since 2017, is running for a third term but faces a challenge from RNC member Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney who has represented Trump.

“I think they’re both good. I like them both,” Trump told Breitbart in an interview published on Saturday.

“It’s like when I asked Queen Elizabeth when we were together: ‘Which president did you like the best?’” Trump added. “She said: ‘I liked them all.’”

The former president indicated the late queen avoided favoritism when Trump asked her the same question about the prime ministers she served with, commenting, “That’s why she stayed there for 75 years.”

Although he did not go as far to offer support for Dhillon, Trump did note to the outlet how she has represented him in court.

“Harmeet is a lawyer for me, you know,” Trump said. “Harmeet is my lawyer.”

The election battle marks the most serious threat to McDaniel’s leadership atop the RNC, which began soon after the 2016 election.

Some in the party have blamed McDaniel after Republicans lost the House in 2018, lost the White House and Senate in 2020, and took back a narrower House majority than expected while losing the Senate again this year.

Those failures have led multiple state GOP organizations to pass resolutions calling for new leadership, with Dhillon hoping to ride to victory on the rising grassroots discontent.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has spread false conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, has announced a long-shot campaign for the post as well.

But McDaniel has received endorsements for a third term from a majority of RNC members, who will convene next month to select the group’s next leader, a sign she could easily win the vote.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), who had a stronger-than-expected performance in New York’s gubernatorial race despite losing, had also explored a run for the post before deciding against it.