On July 15, Donald Trump announced in a Facebook post that Brad Parscale has been replaced by Bill Stepien, who would be taking over his role as campaign manager. The move is a result of the president's poor performance in polls and an embarrassing failure to attract supporters to his comeback rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Just ahead of the move, The Washington Post published an article, portraying Parscale as aloof and self-promoting, pointing out that he featured in an early Trump campaign ad. On top of that, staffers accused him of often taking calls by his swimming pool at home.
In his Facebook post, Trump wrote that he was pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of his campaign manager. Trump also noted that Parscale will be leading digital and data strategies while being the campaign's Senior Advisor.
Pointing out that both Stepien, and Parscale were a part of his historic 2016 win, adding that he is looking forward to having another win together. In the Facebook post, Trump claimed that winning this time will be easier, given that the poll numbers are rising fast, the economy is getting better, vaccines and therapeutics will soon be made available to the public, and American people want safe communities and streets.
Two top campaign officials told Fox News that Stepien will be given total executive control, meaning, there are not two Trump campaign mangers. A source associated with the campaign told the outlet that the announcement was unexpected, adding that people were shocked. A senior administration official claimed this was expected.
The official explained that anyone who knows Trump, and how he wants his campaign run will not be surprised. A GOP operative closely associated with the campaign told Fox News that Stepien's MO is to keep his head down, stay under the radar, and focus on his job, which is why all the attention he has garnered makes him uncomfortable as he realizes he needs to be the guy behind the guy.
Comparing Stepien to Parscale, the operative pointed out that people are unlikely to see Stepien going up on the stage at a rally and throw out hats. Parscale spearheaded Trump’s 2016 digital advertising and was touted as the man behind the surprise victory.
Stepien has served as Trump’s national field director in 2016 and also worked for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. About a month ago, a similar shakeup saw the organizer of the president’s rallies Michael Glassner being reassigned, while Arizona chairman of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign Jeff DeWit was included as a chief operating officer in this year's staff.