RNC chief on GOP infighting: ‘I don’t know how this helps us beat Joe Biden’

Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, warned Wednesday about the implications of the House Republican infighting on the 2024 presidential race.

“I don’t know how this helps us beat Joe Biden. I think every Republican right now has to wake up every day and say how does this help us beat the Democrats in November? What headline do we need today?” she said on Fox Business. 

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted Tuesday by a small group of House Republicans and House Democrats after he struck a deal with Democrats to avert a government shutdown. The historic development has thrown the chamber into chaos nearly a year out from the 2024 election.

McDaniel went on to bash the media for “supporting Joe Biden” and said the infighting makes it “so much harder” for Republicans to show Americans they are helping lower the cost of living, lowering gas prices, and stopping the flow of fentanyl.

“Anytime we’re fighting with each other, we’re taking away from our message against Joe Biden. We’re about a year out from a critical election where we have a great Senate map, we’ve got to hold the House, and we can win the White House,” she said. “And the headlines today aren’t about the border, they’re not about the failure of Bidenomics, they’re not about fentanyl. It’s about Republican Party infighting. It is not good.”

She also praised McCarthy for his fundraising skills, recruitment efforts, and ability to bring a record number of women and minority members into the Republican conference.

“I’m very sad on a personal level for my friend, Kevin McCarthy,” she said.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has since said he is running for the speakership, while McCarthy allies have floated potential repercussions for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and the seven other Republicans who voted McCarthy out of the Speaker’s office.