NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo and former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel clashed Wednesday over whether former President Trump has conceded defeat in the 2020 election.
“It’s over; you’re on the next one. Why is there such hesitancy from people, the closer you get to the Trump orbit, to say he lost the last election?” Cuomo asked McDaniel as she was appearing on his nightly program “Cuomo.”
The host told the Republican, “You went the legal route, nothing wound up being sustained,” in reference to lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign challenging the election result that year.
“The group that supposedly had all the affidavits that would prove otherwise had to stand in open court and say, ‘We don’t have that proof,'” he continued. “Why is it so hard for you people to say, ‘Trump lost, let’s move on?'”
McDaniel responded, “Well, I said that. I’ve said it before. He said it. I mean, the reality is Joe Biden spent the past four years.”
“He has never said it,” Cuomo interjected.
“He has said it,” McDaniel shot back.
“I know but that’s different than saying he lost,” he responded.
“The reality is a lot of the American people are saying I wish I had voted for President Trump,” said McDaniel, who stepped down from the RNC’s top job in March.
McDaniel’s interview with Cuomo was the first she has granted since she was hired and then quickly ousted as a contributor to NBC News, following an internal backlash over her comments and role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
NewsNation is a cable news channel that is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.