NEW: Trump campaign temporarily halts ad spending for review of messaging strategy https://t.co/a15FbjBQdT pic.twitter.com/QPTU2sAku3
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 31, 2020
Just raising the question! My first thought was that Bill Stepien has discovered there are so many leaks in the campaign’s colander that he can’t be sure they’ll have enough on hand to deliver to the capo di tutti capo (Putin), which would be very very bad for Bill Stepien, among others. But the Washington Post adds:
President Trump’s campaign has temporarily paused its television advertising with less than 100 days to go before the election, a move that comes amid a broader shake-up in his faltering bid for a second term.
Two weeks after Trump demoted former campaign manager Brad Parscale and replaced him with Bill Stepien, the reelection effort is reviewing its spending, messaging and strategy in an attempt to boost the president’s fortunes. Polls have shown Trump trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, as voters give the president low marks for his handling of the coronavirus…
The Trump campaign’s efforts to hit the reset button and refocus ahead of the vote come as the president has continued to push divisive messages that have frustrated members of is own party…
Stepien is also looking at personnel allocation and whether it makes sense to have the campaign organized the way Parscale did, officials said. He has told colleagues he is determined to bring a new focus to the campaign, with daily staff meetings, check-ins with field staff and more accountability for officials. Stepien recently polled staff members and learned most had never worked on a presidential election before, according to an official.
Stepien has also told other advisers that the campaign must talk about coronavirus more often and forcefully.
Trump has told other aides he is impressed with Stepien’s command of data, but he has continued to veer into episodes that campaign officials see as unhelpful, officials said.
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