Kristen Welker Grills RNC’s McDaniel Over Trump’s Vow to ‘Root Out’ Left-Wing ‘Vermin’: Does the GOP Stand for Political ‘Revenge?’

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel whiffed when NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed her on Donald Trump making vengeance central to the GOP’s platform.

McDaniel joined Welker for an interview on Sunday — days after the Meet The Press anchor co-hosted the GOP’s third 2024 primary debate. Since Trump is still the GOP’s 2024 frontrunner, Welker turned to the fact that the former president has grown increasingly vocal about how he will weaponize the justice system against his enemies if elected again. The NBC anchor quoted from a Trump Truth Social post which read, “In honor of our great Veterans on Veteran’s Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, lie, steal, and cheat on Elections, and will do anything possible, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America, and the American dream.”

“Does that essentially make the Republican Party take a stance of ‘The Republican Party stands for revenge?'” Welker asked. “What do you think of that message?”

“I’m not going to get involved in rhetoric that’s happening during a contested campaign for our presidential nominee,” McDaniel weaseled. “I will say a lot of Republicans, Kristen, feel like there’s a two-tier system of justice, that Republicans are getting persecuted through prosecution, and they see it with President Trump.”

Welker disputed McDaniel’s claims about the justice system by bringing up the cases against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Hunter Biden. She largely maintained her focus on Trump’s open political hostility though, bringing up his Veterans Day Truth Social post where he declared “We will root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our Country.”

Asked is she was “comfortable” with that kind of rhetoric from Trump, McDaniel again squirmed over how she feels about it:

Again, I am not going to comment on candidates and their campaign messaging. I will say this, I know President Trump supports the veterans, our whole party supports our veterans. And I do think we’re at a very serious moment in our country.

Watch above via NBC.