President Trump announced a shakeup in his reelection campaign Wednesday night, saying in a social media post that campaign manager Brad Parscale has been demoted and replaced with Bill Stepien.
“I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager,” the president announced in a statement posted to Twitter.
Trump said Parscale will remain with the campaign as a senior advisor heading digital and data strategies.
The president said both Parscale and his successor “were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win, and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together.
“This one should be a lot easier as our poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be on the way, and Americans want safe streets and communities!”
A source from Trump’s 2016 campaign told The Post that Stepien “has earned the trust of the president, which is crucial.”
Stepien was appointed as Trump’s deputy campaign manager in May. A veteran Republican operative, he had served as Trump’s national field director in 2016 and later became the White House political director.
Before working for Trump, Stepien was a top aide to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie where successfully managed both of Christie’s victorious gubernatorial campaigns.
The shakeup Wednesday came about a month after The Post reported the president’s advisors were urging him to replace Parscale.
Several people involved in the reelection effort described Parscale as being checked-out in recent months, with other staffers, including Stepien, shouldering more of the work.
“People within his inner circle continue to question Brad’s ability to bring the campaign down the home stretch because of his inexperience,” one longtime adviser to the president said.
“There’s no strategy, there’s no messaging,” the adviser noted.
Another GOP source said a number of people close to the president had warned him that Parscale is not up to the job, which several insiders described as the toughest role in Washington and akin to being “in the hot seat 24/7.”
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