Trump shakes up campaign, taps new manager
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff Wednesday amid sinking poll numbers, replacing campaign manager Brad Parscale with veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien.
Trump and Parscale’s relationship had been strained since a Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally last month that drew an unexpectedly low crowd, infuriating the president. Trump has been struggling in his reelection campaign against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden as the country faces health and economic crises during a pandemic that has killed more than 135,000 Americans.
Trump announced the move on Facebook late Wednesday. “I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump campaign manager,” he said. “Brad Parscale, who has been with me for a very long time and has led our tremendous digital and data strategies, will remain in that role, while being a senior adviser to the campaign.”
The shake-up injected familiar turmoil to Trump’s 2020 campaign, which had so far largely avoided the regular staff churn that dominated the president’s 2016 campaign and his White House. But the staff change was not expected to alter the dayto-day running of the campaign.
Parscale, a political novice, ran Trump’s digital advertising in 2016 and was credited with helping bring about his surprise victory. Stepien has been in politics for years, serving as Trump’s national field director in 2016.
Parscale had been increasingly sidelined in the weeks since the Tulsa rally and as the president’s public and private poll numbers have taken a hit.
Parscale is a close ally of Trump son-inlaw and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, who wields ultimate control over the campaign.