Donald Trump campaign boss Brad Parscale DEMOTED and replaced by his deputy Bill Stepien in shock shake-up of 2020 team
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has demoted Brad Parscale as his campaign manager and will replace him with Bill Stepien.
Trump announced the shake-up on Twitter Wednesday evening and said Stepien, who was his deputy campaign manager, will now take Parscale's place.
Parscale will continue to lead the campaign's "tremendous" digital and data strategies, he added.
"I am pleased to announce that Bill Stepien has been promoted to the role of Trump Campaign Manager," Trump tweeted.
"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."
"Both were heavily involved in our historic 2016 win, and I look forward to having a big and very important second win together," he added.
Senior White House adviser , who said considers Stepien as a personal friend, also confirmed the news Wednesday night to .
"Brad and Bill were both unsung heroes of the 2018 campaign and have done a great job building the infrastructure for the president's campaign for the 2020 race," he said in a statement.
"Together they both bring unique strengths."
Pascale was initially brought on as the digital media director for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was named Trump's 2020 campaign manager in February 2018.
Stepien, a former aide to Gov Chris Christie who got entangled in the bridge closure scandal, will be Trump's fifth campaign manager, according to .
The move comes as Trump's chances of reelection have been thrown into question because of his administration's handling of the pandemic.
Parscale has helped cushion the blow with his digital fundraising efforts during a time where pricey, in-person events are impossible to hold because of the US outbreak.
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But Pascale suffered a misstep with the administration last month following the low turnout at Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, .
The dismal attendance reportedly caused Kushner and to , who told reporters ahead of the rally that more than 100,000 supporters were expected to pack the arena.
Less than 6,200 people attended the event, according to the Tulsa Fire Department.