Published 15:02 IST, July 16th 2020
Trump replaces re-election campaign manager Brad Parscale, makes him senior advisor
In a major shakeup of his re-election staff,US President Trump has removed Brad Parscale as his campaign manager, demoting him to the position of senior advisor
In a major shakeup of his re-election staff, US President Donald Trump has removed Brad Parscale as his campaign manager, demoting him to the position of senior advisor. Meanwhile, Parscale has been substituted by Bill Stepien, who was the field director for Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump’s decision comes amid rising criticism of his handling of coronavirus pandemic and anti-racism protests.
"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 wrote on Facebook.
Parscale under pressure
Over the past few months, Parscale has reportedly been under pressure to materialise support for the president. He was not only blamed for poorly organizing the June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma but also attracted flak from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner who were “pissed” by the low attendance of crowd at the rally.
This reshuffle comes as Trump made another desperate attempt to garner public support by signing legislation to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong’s autonomy. Trump, in addition, signed an executive order ending the preferential treatment given to Hong Kong by the US. Under the new order, Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China with no special privileges, no special economic treatment, and no export of sensitive technologies.
Trump also asserted that the new law will give his administration powerful new tools to hold responsible the individuals and the entities involved in extinguishing Hong Kong's freedom. Furthermore, he informed that his administration has confronted untrustworthy Chinese technology and telecom providers.
Updated 15:02 IST, July 16th 2020