Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is asking Republican candidates who use his name, image, or likeness to raise funds to give five percent of the proceeds to Trump. The move is ostensibly intended to stop “scammers” from harming his presidential campaign.

The development comes as Team Trump is trying to catch up to President Joe Biden when it comes to raising funds. The demand was made in a letter sent to Republican digital vendors earlier this week.

The letter announced that Trump’s campaign is “issuing new guidelines for candidates and committees who choose to use President Trump’s name, image, and likeness in fundraising solicitations.”

Beginning tomorrow, we ask that all candidates and committees who choose to use President Trump’s name, image, and likeness split a minimum of 5% of all fundraising solicitations to Trump National Committee JFC. This includes but is not limited to sending to the house file, prospecting vendors, and advertising.

The letter further states that any contribution that is higher than five percent “will be seen favorably by the RNC and President Trump’s campaign and is routinely reported to the highest levels of leadership within both organizations.”

Team Trump also asked candidates and committees to adhere to certain messaging guidelines that involve avoiding certain types of language when using the former president’s brand. Some of these include “speaking on behalf” of the former president, “questioning the readers’ support” of the former president, or “creating memberships, clubs, or rewards that are not authorized by the campaign.”

As for consequences for violating the guidelines, the letter notes that “Repeated violations will result in the suspension of business relationships between the vendor and Trump National Committee JFC.”

Officials working with Trump’s campaign explained that the guidelines are intended to stop dishonest actors from impacting the former president’s ability to fundraise. But the letter comes as Trump is trailing Biden in fundraising.

Trump officials insisted that the purpose of the 5 percent request was not to raise money for themselves but rather to dissuade “scammers” from using Trump’s brand without his permission and diluting his ability to raise cash.

The letter comes as Trump is struggling to close a fundraising gap with President Joe Biden. Biden’s campaign has said that it has raised over $190 million, more than double what Trump has taken in. Trump’s campaign has acknowledged that it will be outraised by Biden, though it has been looking to make up ground, with large and small donors alike. By asking Republican candidates to break off a chunk of their proceeds, the Trump campaign would enlarge its bank account.

This is not the first time Trump’s campaign has made this type of request.

The campaign has made similar requests in the past. Last year, the Trump campaign released another letter warning that Trump might not endorse candidates who were using firms that sent out Trump-centered fundraising appeals without the campaign’s consent. In 2021, Trump’s political operation sent cease-and-desist letters to the RNC, National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee demanding they stop using Trump’s name, image and likeness in fundraising messages.

Danielle Alvarez, a Trump campaign spokesperson, did not address the request that Republicans give 5 percent of their Trump-centered fundraising proceeds to the campaign. But in a statement, she said: “It is important to protect small dollar donors from scammers that use the president’s name and likeness.”

President Biden maintains a considerable lead over Trump with $155 million in cash on hand to the former president’s $42 million.