GOP Dismisses Cease-and-Desist Letter from Trump

"Donald Trump" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gage Skidmore

Days ago, former President Trump delivered a cease-and-desist letter to the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

In these letters, the three GOP bodies are advised that they cannot use the name and likeness of the 45th president without his express permission.

“Donald Trump” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Gage Skidmore

Firstly, the letters arrived after Trump’s February 2021 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference; many Americans were surprised to learn about the cease-and-desist notice and therefore, questions arose about what the GOP’s response would entail.

According to sources, the Republican National Committee has essentially dismissed the cease-and-desist notice from the former president.

The RNC vs. Donald Trump?

On Monday, the RNC discarded the notice to cease-and-desist. Justin Riemer, the chief counsel of the Republican National Committee, fired back at Trump in a letter of his own.

According to Riemer, the RNC remains within its rights to “refer to public figures” in its fundraising efforts. The letter from the RNC chief counsel also noted that GOP fundraising efforts are “First Amendment-protected” and will not cease, in spite of Trump’s message. The recipient of this letter from the RNC is Alex Cannon, an official for the 45th president’s Save America PAC.

Another segment of the RNC’s response to Trump’s cease-and-desist letter gets even more interesting. Riemer notes that despite the letter, Trump and RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel maintain a “close” relationship with each other. The RNC chief counsel then asserted that Trump has given McDaniel permission to use his name for fundraising purposes.

Finally, Riemer wrote that the RNC is excited about future work with Trump to get Republicans elected into office.

Bringing the GOP Together

Unifying the Republican Party is imperative for the GOP to win elections that are coming up next year. Due to the significant influence that Trump has within the GOP, it doesn’t bode well for the party to make the 45th president an enemy.

Yesterday, Trump sent out a message, urging the Republican voter base to donate funds to his Save American PAC, rather than to RINOs. Some Americans are now already speculating that this comes in response to the RNC dismissing Trump’s cease-and-desist letter.

What do you think about the Republican National Committee’s response to former President Trump’s cease-and-desist letter? Do you think the RNC should use Trump’s name and likeness to raise money? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.