And in tweety statements, he urges his supporters to donate money directly to his Save America political action committee, leaving the network of campaign committees and affiliated super-PACs that usually lead the mid-term efforts in the cold.
“No more money for RINOS,” Trump said in a statement Monday night. “They are doing nothing but hurting the Republican Party and our vast voting base – they will never lead us to Greatness. Send your donation to Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com. We will bring it all back stronger than ever before! “
In another statement Tuesday night, Trump reiterated his insistence that donors donate their money directly to his PAC – even because he claims he is not in conflict with the Republican campaign committees that will compete for many of the same donors’ dollars.
“I fully support the Republican Party and key GOP committees, but I do not support RINOs and fools, and it is not their right to use my image or image to raise funds,” Trump said in the statement. . “So much money is being raised and completely wasted by people who do not have the best interests of the IDP in mind.”
In an unusual joint statement, the chairmen of the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee responded Tuesday night by saying they were “grateful” for Trump’s support, “both past and future.”
“Through his powerful agenda, we have been able to break fundraising records and pick Republicans up and down. We look forward to working with President Trump to win our majority of Congress and deliver results for the American people,” the statement said. , attributed to Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the RNC, senator Rick Scott, and representative Tom Emmer.
Trump’s efforts to consolidate his donor money behind his own affairs show that fundraising has become the latest front in the battle for the future of the Republican Party.
His appetite for by-elections – especially against Republicans in the House and Senate who voted to accuse or condemn him for inciting the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol – is likely to trump Trump in opposition to the National Republican Senate , the National Republican Congressional Committee. and other IDP settlement groups that usually try to avoid costly and divisive battles within the parties and consolidate support behind candidates likely to win the general election.
“If you control the money, you control the party,” Republican donor Dan Eberhart told CNN on Tuesday. “Trump has effectively hampered the RNC, NRCC and NRSC this cycle because they will have to spend an awful lot of time worrying about the friendly fire of the MAGA crowd.”
“The MAGA endorsement is going to be big for everyone this cycle. If Trump puts his finger on the scales, it could be decisive in many races,” said Eberhart, who said he was considering a Senate administration in Arizona. “There’s going to be a lot of consternation if Trump supports a candidate other than the NRSC and the NRCC in primary races. Serious people are going to be burned.”
‘Natural stress’
Over the weekend, a long-running controversy over the use of Trump’s name and likeness in Republican fundraising appeals spilled over to the public. After Trump attorneys sent a letter of resignation to three of the party’s fundraising committees, the Republican National Committee rejected the request in a letter received by CNN.
RNC chief executive J. Justin Reimer told Trump’s lawyers that the RNC has ‘every right to refer to public figures’ in its political speech and will ‘continue to do so’.
Reimer also noted the “close relationship” between Trump and McDaniel. The letter added that Trump “confirmed to her over the weekend that he approves of the current use of his name in fundraising and other materials.”
Trump’s lawyers also sent the same stop-and-stop request to the NRCC and the NRSC. An NRCC spokesman declined to comment and an NRSC spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The episode reveals how the former president continues to strongly embrace his valuable political brand.
“There is a natural tension between the president and many of these committees that precede the most recent situation where the president is unhappy about its use. This is something they were very protective of during his tenure,” he said. . one Republican activist who requested anonymity to discuss dynamics between parties
The clash also shows how central Trump remains to the Republican Party’s own strategy, especially when it comes to expanding its donor base for small dollars. But the party’s reliance on Trump’s popularity at the Republican base is at odds with the need to expand his reach beyond the former president’s devoted supporters.
“The desire is to have it both ways, where you get the former president’s voters, not his baggage,” said a GOP campaign strategist who asked anonymity to speak candidly about Republican incentives.
Some Republican donors, eager to see the GOP win majorities in next year’s midterm elections, are reluctant. Lisa Spies, a veteran of the Republican fundraiser, said the largest donors who fuel the GOP’s political apparatus do not base their contribution decisions on whether the fundraising contains images of Trump or other politicians.
As a result, Trump’s clash with party leaders will “have very little – if any effect – on major donors,” she told CNN in an interview Tuesday.
The contributors “are more concerned about bringing back the majority in the Senate and achieving a majority in the House,” Spies said, “and large donors will follow what [Rep. Tom] Bucket do at the NRCC and what [Sen.] Rick Scott does at the NRSC. ‘
“They are less concerned about the agenda of a former president, or frankly, to make him feel good,” she added.
Still, Trump and his substantial war coffin in the campaign could intervene in contested primary elections, especially in swath districts and states, which would put the prospect of seriously jeopardizing the majority of the House and Senate.
“They have determined how to neutralize him,” the GOP campaign strategist said.
Paul S. Ryan, vice president of litigation and policy at Common Cause, said it became clear months ago that Trump’s interest comes first.
After losing the election last November, Trump raised millions of dollars for his own political action committee, as he promoted falsehoods about election fraud – instead of plowing funds into two U.S. Senate contests in Georgia. Eventually, the Republicans lost the runoff in early January, along with their majority in the chamber.
“The party needed the money in Georgia in December,” Ryan said. “He retaliated with his lies about the election.”
“He’s all about himself. He’s not about building or supporting the party.”
CNN’s Dan Merica contributed to this report.