• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, July 27, 2020

The Trump campaign has gotten itself into another flap over its email fundraising. 

The Ronald Reagan Foundation has asked the campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) to stop using the 40th President’s name and image in fund-raising emails, according to media reports.  

A recent email blast offered “new Trump-Reagan Commemorative Coin Sets,” and featured the subject line “Ronald Reagan and yours truly.”  

Here’s the issue: It’s one thing to use Reagan’s name to raise funds and another to use it to sell products. Private companies doing the latter would also probably be asked to cease and desist. 

Republican candidates have long used Reagan’s name and image in their fundraising appeals, a point made by RNC communications director Michael Ahrens to CNN. 

“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,” Ahrens reportedly said in a statement.   

But the RNC said it would stop using Reagan's name “as a courtesy,” CNN said.

The Washington Post broke the story, and Trump personally jumped on the fact that Post Publisher Fred Ryan is chairman of the board of trustees for the Reagan Foundation.  

"So the Washington Post is running the Reagan Foundation," Trump tweeted Sunday, promising supporters: "We will win anyway" despite "phony" polls.

Nonetheless, this is not the first recent Trump campaign email to prompt criticism. 

Earlier this month, Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., signed emails playing on the guilt of recipients for not responding to earlier messaging.  

Some also took an accusatory tone, one saying: “You’ve received multiple emails from Team Trump, including my father, inviting you to join this BRAND NEW, prestigious club, and you’ve ignored every single one of them.” 

Even some Trump supporters were offended, comparing the messages to “’mob collections’ and ‘slumlord’ eviction notices,” MediaIte writes.  

Then there was the campaign in June, inviting supporters invites supporter to join the “Trump Army.” The email said: “This email is FOR PATRIOTS ONLY.”

But these flare-ups are unlikely to become much of a campaign issue, given the problems facing the country. Biden campaign emails will also likely be critiqued.

There are only 99 days left.