President Donald Trump announced changes within his re-election campaign staff as he confirmed the demotion of his campaign manager Brad Parscale.
The president took to Facebook on Wednesday evening where he announced Bill Stepien had been promoted to replace Parscale. Trump also confirmed Parscaled would be demoted to a senior advisor for the re-election campaign.
“I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager,” Trump wrote, adding, “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 Advisor to the campaign.”
Trump went on to share details about both men and their previous work for his campaign. As he touted poll numbers “rising fast,” the president expressed confidence about the possibility of winning the upcoming election.
“Both were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win, and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together,” Trump wrote. “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!”
https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10165094743505725
Although the president touted rising poll numbers, his decision to demote Parscale came amid the release of poll results showing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a double-digit national lead, according to Fox News.
The Quinnipiac University poll, conducted July 9-13, placed Biden as the frontrunner with 52% support among voters while Trump held 37% of voter supporter. The NBC News/WSJ poll also shows Biden with an expanded lead of 11%.
Trump’s campaign shake-up comes weeks after speculation about Parscale’s fate within the re-election campaign. Parscale found himself at the center of scrutiny following the president’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Roughly 6,200 attendees arrived for the rally despite Parscale touting more than a million tickets reserved for the event, as previously reported on IJR. Following the event, reports noted that the Trump family was also reportedly displeased with Parscale — though Jared Kushner’s spokesperson called those reports “false.”
There were also concerns from officials about Parscale working from his Florida home instead of reporting to Virginia where the Trump campaign is headquartered.
The 2020 presidential election is set for November 3, 2020.