Trump rehires controversial strategy chief as Harris poll surge continues
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Corey Lewandowski, who was ousted from Donald Trump’s 2016 team, has been rehired as the former president tries to halt Kamala Harris’s poll surge.
Mr Lewandowski, 50, the architect of the “let Trump be Trump” strategy, was forced out of the 2016 campaign following a rift with other advisers who favoured a more conventional approach.
He has been brought back into the fold, along with Tim Murtagh, the communications director for the 2020 election, as the latest polls show Ms Harris enjoying an average two-point lead over Trump.
Mr Lewandowski has been an informal adviser to Trump for the last eight years, and will now advise his campaign team.
There have been reports of mounting disarray in the Trump campaign since Ms Harris replaced Joe Biden at the top of the Democrats’ ticket.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly Trump’s White House communications director, claimed that there had been an “implosion” inside the campaign with the Republican presidential candidate looking for “scapegoats and a few personnel changes”.
However, this was dismissed by Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, the campaign chiefs whose roles have been called into question.
A statement said: “As we head into the home stretch of this election, we are continuing to add to our impressive campaign team.
“The rehiring of Trump campaign veterans will help president Trump prosecute the case against Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the most radical ticket in American history.”
Sebastian Gorka, a former strategist to Trump when he was in the White House told The Telegraph: “The most important issue was how President Trump’s most capable and loyal advisors and surrogates were being treated by the campaign, especially by Mr LaCavita.”
He added: “After President Trump was shot, there should have been a resounding increase in his popularity. The absence of a significant bump is on the then leadership of the campaign.”
“Corey brings experience as a campaign manager and utter loyalty to the President. He’s not a Republican in Name Only.”
Mr Lewandowski’s career has been dotted with controversy.
He was forced out in 2016 three months after being charged with battery for grabbing a reporter who was trying to question Trump.
Although the charges were dropped, Mr Lewandowski’s position became untenable when, according to reports in the US, Trump’s daughter Ivanka threatened to step away from the campaign unless he was sacked.
There have been other brushes with the law. In 2022, he was charged with a misdemeanour battery following allegations that he made unwanted advances to the wife of a Trump donor at a dinner.
Under a plea agreement, he paid a $1,000 fine, served 50 hours of community service and completed eight hours of counselling.
However, the rehiring of Mr Lewandowski was welcomed by Trump supporters.
“He is a friend of mine, I think this is great,” Jeff Lord, a veteran Republican strategist who worked in the Reagan White House, told The Telegraph.
Mr Lord added: “I think Trump wants people around him who know him well, are seriously professional and have been through these campaigns before.
“This is another stage, we are in the last two-plus months of the campaign. You need everyone on board. This is what you spend years planning for.”
