JUST IN: Ronna McDaniel’s Chief Of Staff Will Be Stepping Down

Republican National Committee chief of staff Mike Reed will be stepping down from his role later this month, according to an email obtained by Politico.

Reed, who has served in his current role since January 2022, told his colleagues that he will be stepping down in order to focus on his “growing family [that] needs and deserves my attention.”

Two sources familiar with the situation told Politico that Reed’s move had been expected for more than a year. He had already accepted a new position with Cornerstone, a government relations and public affairs firm, though he decided to stay on with the RNC through the committee’s winter meeting.

“I know the timing of this news comes as many rumors in the press swirl and we prepare to merge with the presumptive nominee. I assure you, the RNC is in an incredibly strong position,” Reed wrote in the email.

The move comes as a number of conservative activists, pundits and elected officials have called for a change in leadership in the Republican National Committee. Critics of RNC chair Ronna McDaniel have pointed to disappointing showings in 2022 and 2023, as Republicans failed to achieve a “red wave” despite consistently poor job approval numbers for President Biden.

Speculation has continued to swirl as former President Trump appears to be cruising towards another Republican presidential nomination after dominating wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump stated that there will likely be “changes” at the RNC in the coming weeks and months.

The former president met with McDaniel at his Mar-A-Lago estate this past Monday and later posted a cryptic message on TruthSocial. “Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth,” Trump wrote.

Reed addressed the prospect of changes at the RNC in the email obtained by Politico. “We always knew there would be some changes once we had a presumptive nominee, and we welcome that,” he wrote. “Chairman McDaniel has had great conversations with President Trump over the last few days and weeks. She will continue to lead this organization to merge seamlessly should he be the nominee.”

McDaniel referred to her outgoing chief of staff as a “calm and steady hand,” adding that she is “so happy and excited for his next adventure and that he will be able to spend more time with his wife Alice and their beautiful children.”

While Trump has endorsed McDaniel — who has served as RNC chair since 2016 — in the past, the two have clashed at times due to recent election woes and the RNC’s decision to hold presidential debates. Trump’s camp has also questioned the RNC’s fundraising abilities.

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