Former President Donald Trump has once again made headlines in the political fundraising arena, this time by setting a minimum fee for candidates and committees leveraging his name and likeness in their fundraising efforts.
According to a letter from the Trump campaign, GOP candidates and entities using the former president’s name, image, and likeness for fundraising must agree to contribute a minimum of 5% of all fundraising proceeds to the Trump National Committee Joint Fundraising Committee (JFC). Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita assert that any amount beyond the 5% threshold will be “seen favorably by the (Republican National Committee) and President Trump’s campaign.”
The letter was sent the same week Trump’s hush-money trial began in New York. The trial is expected to last at least six weeks and will greatly hinder the former president’s ability to hit the campaign trail with just seven months left before the November election.
A statement from campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez highlights the importance of shielding supporters, particularly small-dollar donors, from potential scammers. The campaign’s approach to its branding is reminiscent of previous actions taken by Trump’s team, such as in 2021, when they issued cease-and-desist letters to the RNC and congressional fundraising arms, requesting a halt to the use of Trump’s name and likeness in their appeals.
Trump by no means lacks fundraising revenue, but he is spending mountains of cash on the slew of civil and criminal cases against him. The former president has been leveraging his various trials as a motivator for small donor donations, but according to Federal Election Commission filings released earlier this week, he brought in $75 million less than President Joe Biden’s campaign in the first quarter of 2024.
Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, was installed as co-chair of the RNC in March and has already indicated that she’s perfectly willing to let her father-in-law raid the committee’s accounts.
Relevant articles:
– Trump campaign asks for cut of candidates’ fundraising when they use his name and likeness, POLITICO, 04/26/2024
– Trump Demands Cut of Donations to Down-Ballot Republicans Who Use His Name: Report, Yahoo News Canada, Thu, 25 Apr 2024 23:39:01 GMT
– Trump trial: Latest news coverage on hush money case – live, The Independent, Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:15:17 GMT
– How “The Nelson Mandela of America” Is Making Bank Off His Criminal Trial, The Bulwark, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:06:03 GMT
– Trump’s New Legal Bills Are Hiding an $8 Million Mystery, The Daily Beast, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:30:49 GMT