Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel doubled down on the need for a GOP loyalty pledge on Thursday, arguing that the party has “to be united” in 2024.
“It’s the Republican Party nomination and the pledge is staying,” McDaniel said when pressed by “Fox News Tonight” guest host Kayleigh McEnany. “Anybody who wants to seek the nomination of our party should pledge to support the voters. If you go through this process and you take time on the debate stage and you’re going to be there, the number one pledge should be, beat Biden.”
“It’s called the “Beat Biden Pledge” for a reason because at the end of the day, we all have to be united in one thing,” she added.
The loyalty pledge was included in the criteria the RNC announced earlier this month that candidates must meet in order to qualify for the first GOP presidential primary debate in August. Candidates will be required to sign a pledge that they will support the eventual party nominee in the general election.
McEnany, who served as a press secretary for the Trump administration, explained that there are presidential candidates in the GOP field — such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former President Trump — that may not support or sign the pledge.
“[Chris] Christie calls it a useless idea. Trump, I don’t think you’ll ever get him to sign that pledge,” McEnany told McDaniel. “Do you think you’ll have to do away with this pledge in order to not have one person debating themselves?”
In response, McDaniel told McEnany “the pledge is staying.”