Former President Donald J. Trump's campaign said in a letter to Republican vendors that candidates must include him in their campaign materials only if they remit at least 5% of the donations they receive to Trump's campaign. He said he could use his name, image and likeness.
The move would effectively tax the use of the Trump brand for campaign purposes. Trump has sought to close the wide fiscal gap with his Democratic rival, President Biden. The Biden campaign and its political committee reported $192 million in cash on hand at the end of March, more than double President Trump and the Republican Party's $93 million.
“It's important to protect small-dollar donors from scammers using the president's name and likeness,” Trump campaign spokesperson Daniel Alvarez said in a statement.
In a letter signed this week by campaign co-directors Susie Wiles and Chris Lacivita, the campaign said it would increase control over campaign materials using Trump's name, which has become common in donor appeals. He also said that he would ban harsh language. Things like “President Trump needs you” or “If you support President Trump, donate now.”
The letter said the messaging guidelines are part of an effort to “treat our donors with the utmost respect.” After Mr. Trump appeared in court on Monday, his campaign sent out a fundraising pitch that falsely claimed in all caps that Mr. Trump had “stepped out of a Biden kangaroo court!” Trump didn't actually storm out of the Manhattan courthouse.
The letter also added that the campaign will penalize campaign vendors if the candidates they work with do not follow the new rules.
The letter states that repeated violations “will result in the termination of business relationships” with the Trump campaign and the National Party.
The campaign also encouraged Republican candidates and committees to raise contributions above the 5% minimum.
“Disagreements greater than 5% will be viewed favorably by the RNC and President Trump's campaign and will be regularly reported to the highest leadership levels of both organizations,” the letter said.