Republicans meet in California to elect RNC chair, with " rel="tag">Donald as the ... trends now

Republicans meet in California to elect RNC chair, with " rel="tag">Donald as the ... trends now
Republicans meet in California to elect RNC chair, with Donald Trump as the ... trends now

Republicans meet in California to elect RNC chair, with Donald Trump as the ... trends now

The 168 members of the Republican National Committee are talkative when they get together for their winter meetings.

With this year's meeting dominated by a bad-tempered contest between Ronna McDaniel and Harmeet Dhillon for chairwoman, they intrigued in the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach bar about vote counts, swapped gossip about the runners, and how and why the midterm elections went wrong. 

But there's one thing they won't talk about: Donald Trump.

Even as he remains the biggest force in the party, they deflected questions back to the business of the RNC election. 

The shadow of Donald Trump looms large over the Republican National Committee winter meeting in California, even if members are reluctant to discuss him

The shadow of Donald Trump looms large over the Republican National Committee winter meeting in California, even if members are reluctant to discuss him

Challenger Harmeet Dhillon

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel

Harmeet Dhillon is running to unseat Ronna McDaniel as chairwoman. Both are Trump-adjacent, and the result has been a bad-tempered contest

'I'd like to see who comes forward,' said Maripat Kreuger of the 2024 race, a committeewoman from Wisconsin, before returning conversation to the RNC election. 'I'm just kind of focused on this.'

Ben Proto, Connecticut chairman, whose role he made clear meant he had to remain neutral in the nomination race, offered a similar view.

'I'd like to see us have a really good choice,' he said. 'And I think we're going to I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that any one person has this wrapped up January of 2023.'

Trump is the only declared candidate. This week, polls have him as both the frontrunner to take the nomination and the winner of a hypothetical 2024 match-up with President Joe Biden.

The Republican National Committee has to stay neutral in the primary race. Which offers helpful cover to members who clearly don't want to have to get into the pros and cons of the former president.

But some offered a more candid assessment in private.

'He's the elephant in the room at this meeting,' said one. 'We know that the midterms were a disaster, and we are talking about what went wrong without even talking about his role in it all.'

A poll this week gave Trump a three-point lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential contest. Trump so far is the only Republican to announce a run

A poll this week gave Trump a three-point lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential contest. Trump so far is the only Republican to announce a run

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