FACT CHECK: Did Donald Trump Pressure Ronna McDaniel To Announce Her Resignation Over Iowa Voter Fraud?

Jesse Stiller | Contributor

A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed that former President Donald Trump pressured Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to resign during a meeting after she reportedly did not investigate voter fraud in Iowa.

Verdict: False

The article stems from a satirical website. Spokespeople from the RNC and the Nikki Haley campaign denied the claims raised in the article.

Fact Check:

McDaniel reportedly told Trump during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago residence that she would step down from her role in the party, according to CBS News. The reported move comes after the former president publicly criticized the chairwoman recently for the party’s recent struggles in the last few years, The New York Times reported.

The post, shared on the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims that the move stemmed after Trump summoned a meeting with McDaniel over claims that voter fraud occurred during the Iowa Caucuses in January. The article, when translated, claims that a Haley staffer in Iowa had been caught on video offering gift cards of up to $1,000 in exchange for votes, citing U.S. Army sources.

The article then claims Trump summoned McDaniel to his home in Florida, where he strongly urged her to resign. “Trump Ousts McDaniel for Failing to Investigate Voter Fraud,” the post’s caption reads.

The claim is false. There are no credible reports suggesting any incidents of voter fraud took place during the Iowa Caucuses. While an Iowa congressional candidate’s wife was arrested in November 2023 on voter fraud charges, the events took place during the 2020 election, according to CNN.

The article stems from the website Real Raw News, which is a known satirical website. The site’s “About Us” page states the website “contains humor, parody and satire.”

A spokesperson from the RNC directed Check Your Fact to two posts regarding the reported impending resignation of McDaniel. The first post, from GOP communications director Keith Schipper, quoted a tweet from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, stating “nothing has changed” and that such a decision will be final after the South Carolina primaries.

The second post, from Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post, citing an RNC email, showed that McDaniel denied the claims of an impending resignation, stating “there will not be any changes decided on until after South Carolina, when we may have our eventual nominee.”

“Rumors to the contrary are simply not true,” the post read in part. (RELATED: Did Nikki Haley Miss The Deadline To Get On Indiana’s Primary Ballot?)

A spokesperson for the Haley campaign stated the claims were false, stating that “no member of the campaign was arrested and no member was distributing gift cards of any form.”

“The Haley campaign has not been contacted by the FEC,” the spokesperson added regarding the claims.

Check Your Fact has also reached out to the U.S. Army and the Trump campaign for comment and will update this piece if a response is recorded.

Jesse Stiller

Contributor

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