President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign added two senior staffers to the effort Tuesday, shaking up the team as it heads into the final five months before the 2020 presidential election.
Bill Stepien, a veteran Republican strategist and adviser to Trump, will serve under campaign manager Brad Parscale as deputy campaign manager, the New York Times reported. The campaign is also promoting Stephanie Alexander to campaign chief of staff from her current role as regional political director in the Midwest.
“I will continue to support Brad Parscale as he leads the campaign, working with all of our partners in states across the country, and helping to coordinate all of our efforts to ensure the president is re-elected,” Stepien told the Times. (RELATED: Relaxing Lockdowns Was Supposed To Cause A Disaster — It Hasn’t)
US President Donald Trump arrives for a “Make America Great Again” rally at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, November 3, 2018 in Belgrade, Montana. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
Both the Trump campaign and Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign have made unprecedented efforts to boost digital campaign presence as coronavirus lockdowns have crippled traditional campaign strategies. (RELATED: Mail-In Voting For November Election Over Coronavirus Opens Door For Fraud, Experts Say)
The Trump camp shakeup comes as the president and Republicans push against efforts from Democrats to rely on mail-in ballots for the November election. Democrats argue it is necessary for safety reasons due to COVID-19. Several state governments have announced intentions to use mail-in ballots, and there is little Trump can do as president to stop them, aside from threaten funding cuts.
Republicans argue mail-in ballots would threaten the integrity of the election and that polling stations can operate safely under the same social distancing guidelines that grocery stores and other essential businesses have used for months.