Topline
Former 2016 Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is rejoining former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign as Vice President Kamala Harris’ entrance into the race has riled Trump and erased his polling lead.
Corey Lewandowski, former advisor to President Donald Trump, is seen in the Fiserv Forum on the last … [+]
Key Facts
Trump confirmed on Truth Social Lewandowski would join the campaign as ”Senior Advisor” hours after media reports surfaced about the hiring.
Lewandowski was fired from the MAGA Inc. super PAC in 2021 after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward Trashelle Odom, the wife of a donor, at a Las Vegas charity dinner.
Las Vegas prosecutors charged Lewandowski with misdemeanor battery in the case, but he struck a deal with prosecutors to dismiss the charge if he agreed to counseling, community service and a fine.
He was also charged with battery in 2016 after a reporter accused him of grabbing her as she tried to question Trump at an event in Florida; Palm Beach County prosecutors later dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence.
Lewandowski is among several new staffers the campaign has hired in recent weeks, including MAGA Inc. officials Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer and Alex Bruesewitz, along with Trump 2020 campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh.
Chief Critic
“It’s no surprise that he’s bringing Corey Lewandowski back into the fold, a disgraced lowlife who faced criminal charges for battery against a journalist and a police complaint for sexual assault,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Alex Floyd said in a statement. “The company Trump keeps should tell voters everything they need to know – that he is entirely unfit for office.”
Big Number
1. That’s how many points Harris leads Trump by in a national head-to-head contest, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average. Trump led President Joe Biden by 3.1 points when Biden dropped out of the race.
Key Background
Lewandowski has stayed close to Trump, despite the former president saying at the time of the Las Vegas allegations that he would be exiled from his orbit—he helped advise the GOP as it planned the Republican National Convention, Politico reported. Lewandowski rejoins Trump’s campaign as he is trailing Harris in polls and as Trump’s inner circle is reportedly urging him to take a more measured approach to his attacks against Harris, focused on her policies, rather than personal insults, according to multiple reports. Since Harris’ entrance into the race on July 21, the past month has been widely viewed as the worst for Trump’s 2024 campaign to date, prompting a far-right campaign to remove his campaign chiefs, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita (the Trump campaign rejected the push in a statement to The Guardian, insisting Trump believes Wiles and LaCivita “are doing a phenomenal job.”)
Further Reading
Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Up By 4 In Latest Survey (Forbes)
Democratic Enthusiasm Nearly Doubles After Harris Enters Race, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Election 2024 Swing State Polls: Harris Surges Ahead Of Trump In Nearly Every Battleground (Forbes)
2022 midterms, 2024 presidential campaign, the January 6 House committee investigation, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, the 2023 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference and classified documents cases and his Manhattan hush money case. Dorn graduated in 2012 from the University of Dayton with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining Forbes, she covered New York City and state politics for the New York Post and City and State magazine. Follow her for updates and analysis on the 2024 presidential race, key Senate and House races and developments in Congress and at the White House.
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