Trump Running for Re-Election, Names Campaign Manager
Good news for late night comedians and cable news channels: President Trump is officially running for re-election.
Matt Drudge first trumpeted the news in what he called a “world exclusive”:
Trump will stun the political world TODAY by announcing he is running for re-election in 2020. Digital guru Brad Parscale will be named campaign manager, DRUDGE REPORT has learned… MORE… The bold move comes 980 days before Election Day, a historical record. Obama announced 582 days out… MORE…
A statement announcing the appointment of Parscale soon followed.
The news is hardly stunning. Trump speaks regularly of being in the White House eight years. As CNN reports, he filed the paperwork shortly after his 2017 inauguration. And last June White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared, “Of course, he’s running for re-election.”
What’s surprising is having a president who doesn’t pretend he’s unclear on whether he’s running again. It’s also unusual to name a campaign manager and get the re-election operation publicly up and running this early.
Getting Into Gear
Who’s Brad Parscale?
Brad Parscale was digital director for Trump’s successful 2016 campaign. In a 2017 profile, 60 Minutes called Parscale the campaign’s “secret weapon” for his sophisticated use of digital Facebook ads. His influence continued to grow as the campaign rolled on.
Parscale also picked up on voters moving Trump’s way when others were declaring Hillary Clinton a certain lock. In the 60 Minutes profile, he talked about shifting resources in the final days when he realized states like Wisconsin were in play.
While the political world reeled in shock at Trump’s win, Parscale said he knew it was coming.
At first Trump wasn’t a fan of Parscale’s “digital mumbo-jumbo,” Parscale admitted. But by the end, the candidate was a believer.
Interestingly, Parscale had never worked on a political campaign until joining the Trump effort.
Trump to announce 2020 reelection run, tap digital strategist to be campaign manager https://t.co/BqOzGnLq1l pic.twitter.com/YW5Jh8EVCl
— The Hill (@thehill) February 27, 2018
Eric Trump praised Parscale in today’s statement. “Brad is an amazing talent and was pivotal to our success in 2016,” Trump said. “He has our family’s complete trust and is the perfect person to be at the helm of the campaign.”
Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway now serves as Counselor to the President.
The President’s re-election campaign has already set up shop at Trump Tower, ABC News reports. The Trump campaign shelled out about $470,000 in rent at Trump Tower in 2017. And according to Federal Elections Commission filings, the RNC has been paying rent for space at Trump Tower since September.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel cheered Parscale’s appointment.
President Trump is delivering on his promises for a stronger more prosperous country. … We’re committed to continuing this fight for our country by President Trump’s side and I’m thrilled Brad will help lead the effort.
Who Will Trump Be Up Against?
On the Republican side, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is hinting he wants another shot at Trump. The effort in 2016 didn’t go so well. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is not ruling out a 2020 run, either. But would anyone notice?
Meanwhile Democrats are frantically lining up like movie-goers for Black Panther. They include: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Cory Booker, one-term California Sen. Kamala Harris, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Sen. Bernie Sanders may also make another go of it. Perhaps this time the DNC won’t rig the primary against him, as former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile revealed last November.
Liberal columnist Juan Williams thinks one of three black women could take Trump down: Sen. Harris, former first lady Michelle Obama, and, of course, Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah has said she isn’t interested and “hasn’t heard from God” about a run.