Washington, July 27 (RHC)-- The Republicans behind U.S. President Donald Trump have been banned from using the former president's name to raise money for the 2020 presidential election.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute warned the Trump reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) about the using Reagan's name after Trump asked his supporters to buy gold-colored coins with images of Trump and Reagan.
The Make America Great Again Committee would benefit from a donation of $45 or more and the supporters could have a limited edition of the coins.
The daughter of former US President Ronald Reagan has lashed out at President Donald Trump for what she describes as a disregard for the country’s democracy and the violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Titled “Ronald Reagan and Yours Truly,” the e-mail the supporters received on July 19 included a picture showing the two men shake hands at the White House in 1987.
“I just saw our new Trump-Reagan Commemorative Coin Sets and WOW, these coins are beautiful — I took one look and immediately knew that I wanted YOU to have a set. These aren’t any ordinary coins. They symbolize an important time in our Nation. This year, in addition to being re-elected as YOUR President, it also marks the 40th anniversary of our Nation’s 40th President, Ronald Reagan,” read the e-mail.
Michael Ahrens, the RNC's communications director, defended the move trying to portray Reagan as a figure belonging to the whole GOP. “President Reagan was a proud Republican and supporter of a party that has carried on his fight for conservative principles of economic opportunity and limited government."Ahrens said. “His likeness is used by thousands of Republicans each year who gather around the country for ‘Reagan Dinners,’ and his library regularly hosts debates for our presidential candidates.”
The RNC's communications director further reminded the Reagan Foundation that the Trump family had recently raised money for them. "Given that the Reagan Foundation just recently hosted the Trump family to raise money for its organization and has not objected to us using President Reagan’s likeness before, their objection came as a surprise. Even though we believe our use of the image was appropriate, we will stop e-mailing this fundraising solicitation as a courtesy,” he said.
