College Republicans Stand with Trump and Condemn Anti-Trump CRNC

Last week, former President Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts against him in his New York trial. In the hours after the results were announced, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) released a statement siding with the radical DA Alvin Bragg in his anti-Trump crusade, stating that “the outcome of this trial should be respected.”

This has spurred intense Republican backlash against the CRNC, including from California’s Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, who said “Lose my number” in response to the CRNC statement.

Martin Bertao, Spokesman of the California College Republicans (CCR) — which is not affiliated with the CRNC, says that the outcome of Trump’s trial should absolutely not be respected and joined Dhillon in expressing his outrage and disgust with the CRNC.

“The California College Republicans condemn in the strongest terms the rigged, sham trial against President Donald Trump and reaffirm our endorsement of the soon-to-be 47th President — CCR was one of the first Republican organizations in the country to endorse President Trump for re-election, publicizing our decision during his announcement speech,” said Bertao.

Republicans across the country have panned the verdict as “rigged” due to various issues with the trial process, including: 

• The Manhattan District Attorney ran on a platform to “get Donald Trump”;
• One of the prosecutors was a former high-ranking Justice Department official under Biden;
• The judge in the case, Judge Merchan, donated to Biden;
• The judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is president of a consulting firm that works for top Democrats;
• Trump was denied a change of venue and a fair jury of his peers, where he was forced to face trial in an area where about 9-in-10 people voted against him in 2020; and more.

“CCR chapters across the state have issued statements of support for President Trump in protest against the Biden White House’s weaponization of the ‘justice’ system — the failed, Anti-Trump CRNC has less than 30 chapters and does not speak for us, our members, or over 150 chapters across the country,” Bertao explained.

CCR has not been part of the College Republican National Committee since 2019. CCR was the first state College Republican group in the country to be a whistleblower against CRNC leadership that was purging pro-Trump members and chapters — and the CRNC responded by dechartering the pro-Trump CCR from their national organization and sending a letter to the California Republican Party encouraging them to cease recognizing CCR as the State Party’s youth wing.

The California Republican Party used CCR losing its recognition by the CRNC as justification for removing CCR’s permanent charter with the Party in 2019, and Party officials have encouraged CCR to rejoin the CRNC in the years following this move as a potential condition to regain a permanent charter. 

While CCR maintains a temporary charter with the Party, a permanent charter grants an extra Party delegate appointment.

Most recently, Party officials told CCR at its annual convention in May that it has no plans to return CCR’s permanent charter for as much as another 8 years or more — expressing concern CCR was not part of the CRNC.

Instead of attempting to rejoin the CRNC, however, members of the California College Republicans founded the College Republicans of America (CRA) as a new national organization. This organization now oversees a majority of College Republican chapters in the country, and the CRNC has collapsed to less than 30 chapters.

And despite any backlash the organization has received for its choice, CCR is more committed than ever to never rejoining the CRNC, says Bertao.

“While Never-Trump organizations like the CRNC insist on backstabbing Republicans and supporting the Biden Crime Family and establishment elite, CCR and the College Republicans of America (CRA) are actively supporting Trump and the America First movement,” explained Bertao.

“CCR will also join CRA in its call for the Republican National Committee to recognize CRA as the official national College Republican organization,” said Bertao. 

The College Republicans of America released a statement after the Trump verdict seeking RNC recognition, stating: 

“College Republicans of America is calling on the Republican National Committee to formally recognize CRA as the sole legitimate national College Republicans organization. Now is the time to cease support for other splinter factions and unify under the CRA banner to better coordinate our grassroots deployments for President Trump, his endorsed candidates, and future Republicans running for office.”

“The Never-Trump CRNC is out — the CRA and America First organizations are in,” concluded Bertao.