What's crazy is that sticking by him is not a winning strategy. If, in early 2017 they made it clear that he wasn't in alignment with them and that many of his views were outside of theirs then they might have been able to either present a primary challenge in 2020 or at least in 2024 have course-corrected without being seen as the Trump party. As it is they're all so tied to him now that they can't get away from it. It makes no real sense to me politically.
I think the statement is effective, although the portion about high shool/college/SAT grades seems out of place as it would be illegal for that information to be shared anyway (FERPA).
Doubling down on racism paid off handsomely in the Senate races in 2018, and thanks to the EC and inherent whiteness of the Senate map they've got a natural advantage. Trump isn't an aberration, this is the party going forward.