In another formal statement from the Office of the Former President on Monday, President Donald Trump encouraged Republican voters to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee (RNC), in favor of his own Save America PAC, according to The Hill.
“No more money for RINOs. They do nothing but hurt the Republican Party and our great voting base. They will never lead us to greatness,” the statement read. “Send your donation to Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com. We will bring it all back stronger than ever before!”
The statement follows a cease-and-desist letter that was sent to the RNC by President Trump’s lawyers, in which his team demanded that the committee, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, stop using his name and image for fundraising purposes.
These represent the latest moves in President Trump’s efforts to solidify his control over the Republican Party, where he is still overwhelmingly popular with voters. At his first public appearance since leaving office, he gave a speech for an hour and a half at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida. During the speech, in which he slammed Joe Biden’s policies and executive orders, and outlined a plan to combat widespread voter fraud like that which occurred in the 2020 election, he took time to name over a dozen RINOs whom he said need to be defeated in their primaries next year.
The list consisted of the ten Republican members of the House of Representatives who voted in favor of his second impeachment, over false claims that he “incited an insurrection” after mostly peaceful pro-Trump and anti-voter fraud protests took place at the United States Capitol on January 6th. Among these Republicans were Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the Chair of the House Republican Conference and thus the third-highest ranking Republican member of the House.
President Trump also named the seven Republicans in the Senate who voted to convict in the impeachment trial, including Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is up for re-election next year. President Trump has already vowed to campaign against her, and several names have been mentioned in consideration for primary challengers, including former Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska).
Although President Trump ruled out the option of starting a new third party during his speech, he repeatedly hinted at the possibility that he may run for the GOP’s presidential nomination again in 2024. CPAC’s straw poll, as well as every other poll of Republican voters to date, overwhelmingly chose him as the top pick if he were to do so.