<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute has asked President Trump and the RNC to stop using Ronald Reagan’s name and likeness for fundraising purposes, reports <i>The Washington Post. </i></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Foundation, in addition to preserving the former president’s principles and completing what it calls his &#8220;unfinished work,” legally controls the use of names and images of Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>This week, it was revealed that the CEO and publisher of <em>The Washington Post</em>, Fred Ryan, is also the chairman of the board of trustees for the Reagan Foundation.</b></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Given <em>The Washington Post’s</em> leftist agenda, and the conservative legacy of the great Ronald Reagan, this appears to me to be a huge conflict,” tweeted conservative commentator Mark Levin, describing the Foundation’s request as a “publicity stunt.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The organization’s request targets a set of commemorative coins featuring a 1987 photo of a young Donald Trump shaking hands with President Reagan. Without consent from the Foundation, the coins were offered via email in exchange for donations of $45 or more. Proceeds went to the Trump MAGA Committee, a fundraising operation that benefits Trump’s reelection campaign and the RNC.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The RNC immediately agreed to end the fundraiser, but noted that the Foundation recently hosted the Trump family to raise money for its organization and has not objected to the RNC’s use of Reagan’s name in the past.</span></p>
<p>According to Melissa Giller, the Foundation&#8217;s chief marketing officer, the fundraising email suggests a connection between Trump and Reagan that did not exist. The Foundation may decide to take legal action.</p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Author&#8217;s Note: </span></strong><span class="s1">Hundreds of Republicans have invoked Reagan’s name for a variety of purposes and there is no valid reason the Foundation should object to the coins.</span></p>
<p>Who would have believed the chairman of an organization representing a conservative hero was also CEO of a liberal newspaper? This truly was a publicity stunt and Mr. Ryan should resign immediately.</p>