The New York Times
Trump, Hungry for Power, Tries to Wrestle Away GOP Fundraising
WASHINGTON – This was a famous play by Donald Trump: he knocked out his enemies and tried to raise money from it. The former president this week raised disagreement over the financial future of the Republican Party, by blasting party leaders and urging his supporters to send donations to his new political action committee – not to the institutional groups that traditionally control the GOP’s coffers. . “No more money for RINOS,” he said in a statement released by his post-presidential office on Monday, referring to Republicans In Name Only. He rather sent donors to his own website. Subscribe to The Morning Newsletter of the New York Times The aggressive action against his own party is the latest sign that Trump is trying to regain control of the low-dollar online fundraising juggernaut he helped create and that of the Republican divert fundraising groups to its own. committee, which has virtually no restrictions on how the money can be spent. Last week, Trump sent stop-and-stop letters – which apparently have little jurisdiction – to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, warning them not to appeal to donors by using his name and image. . The joker comes as the party struggles to give its way forward after losing the House, Senate and White House during Trump’s term, with moderate party leaders pushing the party to go beyond the divisive former president, while ‘ a large part of the GOP base remains firmly behind. him. Who controls the majority of donors’ cash is a hotly contested point as Republicans try to regroup and take back power in the 2022 midterm elections. What’s more, Trump’s advisers believe that the future of fundraising from parties in low-dollar contributions is not the class of big donors who have mostly indicated that they want to distance themselves from him after his month-long push falsely and claim that the election was stolen on November 3. which led to the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Trump’s maneuver is partly born of his anger at Republican leaders who he said were disloyal when they strayed from him after Jan. 6. The former president is also encouraged by people like Dick Morris, the infamous political consultant known for being among the parties, who met with him in New York and encouraged him to tackle the party he once led. Trump’s actions could give him a stream of money at a time when his private company is struggling under investigation, with bookings or properties to be sold. His affairs are now political, and political action committees, according to campaign finance experts, have few restrictions on the operation and use of their money. The former president could, in theory, pay himself and his family members salaries from the money raised there. “The type of PAC has no significant restrictions on the way it can spend its money,” said Adav Noti, senior director of litigation at the Campaign Legal Center. People close to the former president say there has been no discussion about Trump giving himself a salary. But historically, his political committees have paid to use his properties, among other things, to indirectly enrich him. Republican fundraising groups have pushed back against the former president. Justin Riemer, the RNC’s chief executive, responded in a letter on Monday to the Trump committee’s stop-and-stop request: ‘The RNC, of course, has every right to refer to public figures, as it’ a core is, The first amendment is protected by political speech, and it will continue to pursue it towards the common goals. But in a sign of the fine dance between Trump and a Republican Party that is afraid of alienating its most popular figure, Riemer also said that the RNC would not make fundraising applications without his approval and with Trump’s name or likeness. not. And on Tuesday night, Trump released a second statement in which he returned his earlier attacks on Republican committees. “I fully support the Republican Party and key IDP committees, but I do not support RINOs and fools, and it is not their right to use my image or image to raise funds,” he said. But even when he tries to make it clear that he supports his party, he gives another plug to his own group. “If you donate to our Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com, you are helping the America First movement and doing it right,” he said. For now, Trump’s plan is to raise money so he can remain a force in politics and help candidates defeat Republicans like Rep. To challenge Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who supported his accusation this year. Trump raised about $ 250 million with the national party between election day and President Joe Biden’s inauguration. More than $ 60 million of that went to a new political action committee. The committee and the former president’s campaign committee have both been transformed into linked political action committees. Trump’s aides said this week that they have not started fundraising since he left office, but plan to do so in the coming days. The Republican clash can resonate especially in the House. If Trump succeeds in persuading donors to give him money instead of directly supporting Republican House candidates, he could run into problems for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, who is trying to take back the House in two years. He has to turn over five seats to do so. “If you control the money, you control the party,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor. Some Republican strategists noted that less than a decade ago, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the party’s presidential candidate in 2012, was the biggest fundraising name in GOP politics. Now he barely recognizes his party. The strategists downplayed the threat that Trump poses to Republican fundraising. “The donors unique to him who will be affected by the message are people who would not have donated in the first place,” said Josh Holmes, a political adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate. . Holmes also said the Republicans, while the Biden government enlightens new policies such as a nearly $ 2 billion bill, will work in opposition and develop new fundraising constituencies. “In terms of money, you raise a lot of money in opposition to a government and policy,” Holmes said. ‘In presidential years, it becomes more a face and name of each of the parties. We are, of course, entering another era of fundraising. So far, all that Trump’s organization has done has been endorsing loyalists in key states, such as the South Carolina government of Henry McMaster, who is running for re-election. But years of fundraising from parties see it as a reminder by Trump to lawmakers to stick with him, otherwise he could pull his endorsement off the road. Trump assistants were divided over whether the RNC should have received the threatening letter at all. Ronna McDaniel, the group’s chairwoman, won much of her job because of Trump’s support. Some of his assistants told her that Trump himself did not know she had received one of the threatening letters. There has historically been tension between some of Trump’s advisers and RNC officials. But in a call with McDaniel over the weekend to ease the relationship, Trump intends to directly target, reject or prevent the RNC from reaching its donors. The people familiar with the call said Trump still supports the fact that Republican donors would give money to the RNC and that he did not intend to stand in the way. The RNC plans to hold part of its spring fundraising gala at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Florida. The plan was in progress before the stop-and-stop letters. The Four Seasons in Palm Beach, which hosts the rest of the gala, had social distance and space requirements that the 350 people who attended the Saturday night reception where Trump would speak did not want to attend. The hotel also expressed concern about the former president’s accommodation. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company