Former RNC Chair Ousted from NBC Days after Getting Hired: ‘No Room for Conservative Voices’
Ronna McDaniel, former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman, was hired by NBC News last week — a decision that immediately sparked outrage from left-wing figures and news anchors.
Some of the loudest backlash came from Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” who said, “We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring, but if we were, we would have strongly objected to it for several reasons.” Mika Brzezinski, who works alongside Scarborough, added, “We hope NBC will reconsider its decision.” Chuck Todd, the Chief Political Analyst for NBC said the decision to hire McDaniel made NBC journalists “uncomfortable,” and MSNCB host Rachel Maddow found it to be “inexplicable.”
As a result, less than a week after McDaniel was brought on, NBC released a statement on Tuesday announcing she was let go. Network Chairman Cesar Conde stated, “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 continued, “I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it. 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.”
In her own commentary, Jen Psaki, former White House Press Secretary, expressed her disapproval of McDaniel and made the claim, “This isn’t about red versus blue. This is about truth versus lies.” However, on Tuesday’s episode of “Washington Watch,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins admonished Psaki, insisting the issue is not merely about “truth and lies” but about “whether or not you’re a conservative.” He added, “There’s no room for conservative voices at NBC or MSNBC.”
McDaniel’s termination was met with its own backlash from GOP officials. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) posted on X, “NBC ‘News’ is an absolute disgrace.” FRC’s Senior Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance Ken Blackwell agreed, telling Perkins that this is simply another example of the Left’s “classic doublespeak.” The FRC president replied, “This is how the Left works. They don’t want a debate. They don’t want a discussion. They want to silence anyone who doesn’t agree with them.”
Perkins further contended that the Left’s censorship has become “the cancer of the cancel culture,” and “it’s spreading.” He recalled, “When I first came to FRC, over 20 years ago, I was on MSNBC almost every week with Chris Matthews. There used to be a time when there were debates.” However, he added, “that doesn’t happen anymore.”
The reason this is important to address, Perkins emphasized, is because it further exposes the legacy media’s lack of credibility. “It’s a double standard,” he explained. “They either see it their way and you talk about it their way, or you don’t get a voice. … [Y]ou cannot watch the legacy media and think you’re hearing truth. You are hearing propaganda from the Left.”
As Blackwell highlighted, the media doesn’t “want partners. They just want … puppets.” He added, “They are the vanguard of … moral relativism. It’s a direct assault. These folks … don’t believe there is an objective truth” — which he explained is “why they want to run God and faith out of the public square, because they don’t believe that there’s an objective moral truth.” But as Blackwell noted, “People are saying, ‘We’re not going to be force fed this nonsense.’”
“Enough is enough,” Perkins concluded. “The curtain has been pulled back.”
Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.