RNC chair refuses to criticize or defend her uncle Mitt Romney after he was barred from conservative conference


There will be no family feuding here, at least on television.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel mostly deflected questions from CBS's Margaret Brennan about her uncle Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) during a Face the Nation appearance Sunday. The Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday announced that Romney won't be invited to this year's event after he broke with Republicans and voted for additional witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial.
Brennan wanted to know what McDaniel thought about that, as well as CPAC's intense ad which made it very clear Romney wasn't invited. Brennan also tried to gauge McDaniel's reaction to the argument that Trump has altered the Republican Party, leaving more traditional GOP names like Romney out in the wilderness. But McDaniel evaded talking about her uncle directly and instead praised Trump for representing real Republican ideals, while dismissing the notion the party had morphed.
Subscribe to 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.
She didn't defend Romney, either. McDaniel said she gets why CPAC and other party members are upset at Republicans who don't always support the president because they view going against the grain as contributing to the election of a Democratic president in 2020. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Magazine solutions - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Magazine printables - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Army commissions tech execs as officer recruits
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Some of the tech industry's most powerful players are answering the call of Uncle Sam
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein