The newly re-elected head of the Republican National Committee slammed the controversial QAnon movement in a Wednesday interview, calling it “dangerous.”
The statement: Ronna McDaniel, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump who has served as the RNC chairwoman since 2017, lambasted the movement while speaking to the Associated Press.
- “I think it’s really important after what’s just happened in our country that we have some self-reflection on the violence that’s continuing to erupt in our country,” McDaniel said. “I think QAnon is beyond fringe. I think it’s dangerous.”
- The conspiracy theory, which alleges Trump is working to defeat a cabal of powerful elites who engage in pedophilia and worship Satan, has been widely linked to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which sought to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
We’re all on the same side: She also addressed infighting in the party, saying, “If we’re fighting each other every day and attacking each other and brandishing party purism, we’re not going to accomplish what we need to to win back the House and take back the Senate, and that’s my priority.”
- McDaniel downplayed rumors that Trump is planning to leave the GOP, saying such a move would “rubber stamp” Democratic rule and be “the last thing any Republican wants.”
- But she also said the party would remain “neutral” in the race for the 2024 nomination.
Trump and QAnon: The former president has repeatedly demurred when asked to denounce the QAnon movement.
- This has led to tension within the GOP and the broader conservative movement, as adherents clash on how to deal with QAnon.
- Following a series of failed Q prophecies, some Trump supporters lost patience with the movement and called for it to be scourged from the right.
- Earlier this month, right-wing provocateur Alex Jones furiously excoriated the movement on his InfoWars radio show, declaring, “Q tells this stuff and all of it’s lies.”
State of play: McDaniel, Trump’s handpicked choice for RNC chairwoman, presides over a fractious period for the party, as some Republicans seek to distance themselves from the former president and others double down on Trump-style rhetoric.
- Many establishment Republicans, including House Republican Caucus Chair Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Pat Toomey, have condemned the president’s involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot and supported his impeachment.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s surrogates and allies have vowed to primary Republicans who did not object to the certification of the Electoral College vote.
