President Donald Trump’s White House has been a revolving door almost since day one, as were his election campaign, and now his re-election campaign, and the leaders of both have been struggling, according to reports.
Trump’s newest Chief of Staff (his fourth), former North Carolina GOP congressman Mark Meadows, is “struggling,” isn’t having as easy a time as he thought he would, and may not last long into a second Trump term, if there even is one.
“Three-and-a-half months in, he has told people he is struggling with the chief’s job and that if Trump wins re-election, he’ll only stay in the role for an additional year, if that long,” Politico reports.
Meadows’ observation that he is struggling is no secret to White House watchers.
“‘Look at what has happened on Meadows’ watch: the walk to Lafayette Square, the complete mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis, the defense of the Confederate flag and the botched handling of the intelligence on the Russian bounties on U.S. soldiers. We could go on and on. It has been one of the worst stretches of the Trump presidency,” says author Chris Whipple, who has written about White House chiefs of staff. “He took the job, so he owns it. That was his first big mistake.”
Over on the campaign side, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale seems like he’s being propped up by the president’s old team.
“Trump frustrated with campaign manager Parscale amid falling polls,” is the headline over at The Washington Post, which notes Parscale “has struggled at times to steer the campaign.”
“Parscale, despite his self-promotion, increasingly finds himself out of favor with his boss and hemmed in by newly hired staffers and recently promoted advisers, according to people familiar with the campaign,” the Post reports.
The boss is not happy.
“Trump has made clear his displeasure with Parscale, especially after a disappointing rally in Tulsa, and the campaign has expanded its senior team in ways that diminish his role, according to multiple campaign and administration officials.”
Former 2016 Trump campaign official Bill Stepien, of Bridgegate fame, is back in at the 2020 Trump campaign.
So are Hope Hicks and Jason Miller, the latter being “recently hired by the campaign and is increasingly seen as its principal strategist.”
Although Miller and Stepien “officially report to Parscale, [they] were talking with Trump almost every day in the week leading up to Trump’s pivotal July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore.”
“Trump advisers say Parscale made a fundamental mistake in setting expectations too high and disappointing Trump.”
And Friday’s LA Times reported: “Trump scrubs New Hampshire rally as campaign struggles to reboot.”
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