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.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
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
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
