RNC threatens to punish NBC for firing Ronna McDaniel: Spokeswoman says network could be excluded from Trump’s coronation at convention, but new chair insists they must use all channels to reach voters

The Republican National Committee issued conflicting messages Thursday about whether it intended to punish NBC by denying access to its treatment of former chair Ronna McDaniel.

A spokesperson said the organization is “looking hard” at the network’s participation in this summer’s convention, when Donald Trump will officially become the party’s nominee.

Meanwhile, the new RNC chairman pushed back on the idea, saying Republicans should use all available tools to reach voters.

NBC News announced Tuesday that McDaniel, who repeatedly raised questions about the outcome of the 2020 election, would not appear as a paid contributor on the network after a backlash from journalists and anchors at MSNBC.

The RNC voted against allowing CNN and NBC to hold presidential debates in 2016 in protest of their reporting.

And Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for the RNC and the Trump campaign, suggested the rift with NBC could escalate.

“We are closely examining what this means for NBC’s participation in the convention,” she told Politico.

“Our priority is to ensure this is a world-class event where President Trump can express his message and vision in an honest way.”

Michael Whatley, Donald Trump’s successor to replace McDaniel, discussed the issue with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

But he backtracked on the idea that the network should be denied access to the July convention in Milwaukee.

‘Is the mainstream media going to treat us fairly? No. Have they ever treated us fairly? No, they’re not going to do that he said.

‘Does this mean that we necessarily never want to continue with this and never try to reach the target groups they reach?

‘I do not think so.’

McDaniel has not spoken publicly about her experiences. But reports suggest she expects her two-year contract, worth a total of $600,000, to be paid out.

Just four days after announcing she would be joining the network as a political contributor, she was dumped.

The announcement sparked immediate reactions from radio talent across the network.

In a statement Tuesday evening, NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde said, “After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be a contributor to NBC News.”

During her time as RNC chair, she promoted Trump’s false claims of election fraud. It was one of the reasons her hiring at NBC sparked backlash among network employees.

At the same time, the path from political official to NBC has been trodden.

Jen Psaki, who served as White House press secretary in the Biden administration, and Symone Sanders, who was spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, have both made the jump to paid contributors.

Whatley said it showed a double standard at play among hosts like Chuck Todd, who panicked about McDaniel but did not protest the hiring of officials from the Democratic side.

“I would say, do you even have to wonder if Chuck Todd will allow his bosses to cover the convention,” he said.

“You know, right now we really have to look at every platform that is available to us to get our message out.

“One of the great things we saw from President Trump in 2016 was his ability to communicate directly with voters.

‘He could do that through the networks. He could do that on social media. I think he invented social media as a political platform, honestly.”

Spicer, communications director for the RNC, pointed out that the organization did not let NBC host a presidential debate in 2016.

“What punishment should NBC face if they don’t…” he said.

“If they don’t want our voices on the air, we shouldn’t give them the credibility to tune people in, have them come to our events and spew vitriol.”