Before she started leading the GOP, Ronna McDaniel proudly carried a "Romney" in her name.
The Republican National Committee chairwoman and niece of Senator-elect Mitt Romney spent years using her maiden name in her social media accounts and professional biographies, going by Ronna Romney McDaniel. But she dropped the "Romney" last year during her uncle's Senate run — at President Trump's request, The Washington Post reports.
A former presidential candidate himself, Romney heavily criticized Trump's 2016 run and attacked him again in an op-ed published Tuesday. Trump returned the blow in a Wednesday tweet, and McDaniel definitively sided with Trump in a scorching tweet of her own. The family spat promptly brought up some reminiscing about when McDaniel went by a slightly longer name.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Romney drop came just after McDaniel replaced Reince Priebus as RNC chair in early 2017, and it wasn't just because "Ronna Romney" is a bit of a tongue twister. Trump asked McDaniel to drop her maiden name after subtly opposing his Senate run, the Post reports. And if McDaniel's Twitter feed and the official RNC website are any indication, Trump's request worked.
-
When should you use a personal loan vs. a credit card?The Explainer Determine whether you need a lump sum upfront or a borrowing limit
-
‘Conspiracy theories about her disappearance do a disservice’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsionSpeed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deploymentSpeed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
