Trump supports ‘important GOP Committees’ but still demands ‘RINOs and fools’ not fundraise with his image

Former President Trump said Tuesday that he supports the Republican Party and its major fundraising organizations but doubled down on his demand that “RINOs and fools” not use his name or likeness to raise campaign cash. 

RINO is a pejorative term that stands for “Republican In Name Only.”

The two-pronged statement from Trump comes after the former president on Monday told his supporters “[n]o more money for RINOS” and to only donate to his Save America PAC. Trump had sent cease-and-desist letters to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee demanding that they no longer fundraise with his name or image. 

The RNC responded by saying it would continue to reference “public figures” in its pleas to donors. The NRSC and NRCC have so far remained silent on what amounts to an effort to redirect money from the top three national GOP electoral organizations to a political action committee that Trump controls. 

TRUMP TELLS SUPPORTERS ‘NO MORE MONEY FOR RINOS’ AS HE BATTLES GOP OVER FUNDRAISING WITH HIS LIKENESS

“I fully support the Republican Party and important GOP Committees, but I do not support RINOs and fools, and it is not their right to use my likeness or image to raise funds,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday. “So much money is being raised and completely wasted by people that do not have the GOP’s best interests in mind.”

Trump then asked supporters to donate to his own PAC, saying that “you are helping the America First movement and doing it right. We will WIN, and we will WIN BIG! Our Country is being destroyed by the Democrats!”

Trump’s statement ‒ voicing support for “important GOP Committees” while simultaneously asking his supporters not to give to them ‒ came as top congressional Republicans were downplaying concerns that Trump could handicap their efforts to retake the House and Senate. 

TRUMP LIKELY A FACTOR IN FLURRY OF SENATE GOP RETIREMENTS

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was asked about Trump’s “cease and desist” demands during a press conference on Tuesday. He pointed out that the NRCC had more success than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in January — although that was before Trump began telling his followers to donate only to his PAC. 

“That was a new policy that he rolled out. Ultimately President Trump’s going to decide what…