After losing both chambers of Congress during Trump’s presidency and after waging a disappointing campaign to recapture them in 2022, the Republican Party is having a lot of intra-party feuds.
This week, the post-election search for new leadership moved to the Republican National Committee. Right now, there’s no agreed-upon leader of the party, so like the recent battles in the Senate and the House, the RNC election has turned into a fight to define the GOP’s future.
And once again, Donald Trump is at the center of the debate.
Playbook co-author Rachael Bade flew to Orange County, California, to watch the fireworks at the RNC’s winter meeting, where the three-time incumbent chair Ronna McDaniel faced a challenge from conservative lawyer Harmeet Dhillon.
To understand what this fight is all about, Rachael had breakfast with Bill Palatucci, a longtime party member who is also a close ally of Chris Christie’s and a loud critic of Donald Trump.
In this week’s episode, Palatucci explains how the Dhillon-McDaniel contest isn’t just about the RNC chairmanship – it's about who will lead the Republican Party into 2024 — and beyond — and why the GOP could languish for a very long time depending on the outcome.
Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.
Bill Palatucci is an RNC national committee man for New Jersey.
Afra Abdullah is an associate producer for POLITICO audio.
Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Alex Keeney is a senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Brook Hayes is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the executive producer for POLITICO audio.
Biden’s student debt promise comes due
How the 'burbs turned blue
Weed is popular. So what's the holdup in Congress?
‘It’s a clusterf*ck’: The college kid who cracked the election industry
The drama-filled race for 'America's mayor'
The Capitol rioter next door
McConnell, Oklahoma and the education culture war
Why UFOs are crashing into Congress
Is Hill oversight dead? Inside the Jan. 6 commission fight
A GOP civil war? Don’t bet on it
The Black correspondents at the White House
Money, MTG and the D.C. power machine
The senators at the center of the 50-50 split
BONUS: Why California’s fracking ban went bust
Bonus: How a fake reporter infiltrated the White House press corps
Coming soon: Playbook Deep Dive
The hellish future of post-Covid travel & a special tribute at the end of this show
Fili-fix the Filibuster?
Sen. Brian Schatz and why Senate Democrats are walking on eggshells
Biden's planes, trains and automobiles
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Tiny Desk Concerts - Video
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Left, Right & Center
The Jason Stapleton Program
Podcast for America