Inside the ‘Lord of the Flies’ factionalism now rampant in Trumpland



[ad_1]

Recalling a recent fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago for an incumbent Republican, one Trump aide was incredulous that another told those in attendance that he was instrumental in organizing such gatherings – and , naturally, should be hired as a fundraising consultant for them. .

“I don’t blame anyone for wanting to make money … but don’t be so cheeky about it,” the aide said.

Several former campaign officials and senior White House aides who retained access to Trump – either through regular meetings in Mar-a-Lago or weekly phone calls – started their own businesses after the election. 2020. Trying to have fun with new clients and donors, they have settled in different camps, each suspicious of each other.

Former Campaign Manager Bill Stepien has teamed up with Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark and Councilor Nick Trainer to form a political consulting firm; Corey Lewandowski and Dave Bossie, former campaign assistants from 2016, were tasked with creating a new super PAC for the ex-president; former White House political adviser Stephen Miller is launching a new legal group; and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows works for the Conservative Partnership Institute, which is hosting a donor summit in Palm Beach next week. Others like Sergio Gor, the former chief of staff of the Trump campaign finance committee, and Caroline Wren, another Trump fundraiser, worked closely with the Republican candidates in the 2022 races.

“Trump is surrounded by people who tell him ‘you need us’, but they really need him,” the person close to the former president said.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller, who is in regular contact with the former president and aides who currently work for him, disputed the allegations of friction inside Trump’s orbit. Instead, Miller said he had never seen such harmony.

“Having been around Trump World for five years now, I would say this is the least competition or conflict from allies at this point that I have ever seen,” he said. “The people the president has kept in his orbit are all true believers who understand that he makes his own decisions, and we have very specific roles to support him.”

Another former aide who is still in frequent contact with Trump’s advisers agreed that the backbone political operation “got along”.

But the whispering campaigns and gossip were noticed far beyond Trump’s immediate staff of aides. Some of the former president’s most trusted external allies have personally urged him to get rid of his current squad, saying those he surrounded himself with are singularly focused on enrichment or too clumsy to conduct a post operation. -successful presidential.

[ad_2]

Source link