There had been talk that Kellyanne Conway would be the pick…

Trump campaign brings Corey Lewandowski back on board

The move is part of an expansion of the campaign’s ranks

Corey Lewandowski speaks to a reporter at a primary night event on Sept. 6, 2022, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. | Josh Reynolds/AP

By ALEX ISENSTADT

08/15/2024 11:10 AM EDT

Updated: 08/15/2024 12:06 PM EDT

Lewandowski, who has remained an informal Trump adviser since his first campaign, is being brought on to advise the campaign’s senior leadership team, according to a person familiar with the move and granted anonymity to speak freely. He joins several other former Trump aides who will play similar roles.

The staffing additions come as Trump has fallen behind Vice President Kamala Harris in fundraising and some swing state polling. Some Republicans have grown concerned about Trump’s standing in the race, saying he has struggled to find a consistent line of attack against Harris.

Those close to the campaign say the new hires are not a shakeup, but rather a buttressing of the campaign’s leadership roster in the crucial last few months leading up to the election.

Tim Murtaugh, who was the communications director on Trump’s 2020 campaign, will also be joining. So, too, will be Alex Pfeiffer and Alex Bruesewitz, who were top officials on the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. super PAC. Bruesewitz is known for having a wide following on social media. POLITICO reported early this week that Taylor Budowich, who had been leading MAGA Inc., had left the super PAC to join the Trump campaign in a senior capacity.

“As we head into the home stretch of this election, we are continuing to add to our impressive campaign team,” Trump co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement. “Corey Lewandowski, Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer, Alex Bruesewitz, and Tim Murtaugh are all veterans of prior Trump campaigns and their unmatched experience will help President Trump prosecute the case against Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the most radical ticket in American history.”

Lewandowski has a controversial history in GOP politics. He was removed from a top post with a pro-Trump super PAC in 2021. Lewandowski at the time was accused by a top Trump donor’s wife, Trashelle Odom, of making unwanted sexual advances towards her while at a Las Vegas charity dinner. He was later charged with a misdemeanor, but entered an agreement with prosecutors to have the charge dismissed in exchange for completing impulse control counseling, community service and paying a fine.

In 2021, Lewandowski was removed from a top position in a Pro-Trump super PAC after he was accused by the wife of a donor to the former president, Trashelle Odom, of making unwanted sexual advances towards her at a charity dinner in Las Vegas. 

Following the Las Vegas incident, a spokesperson for the former president said “Trump World” was no longer associated with Lewandowski. But Trump has long remained loyal to Lewandowski and has kept him in the fold. Lewandowski played a role at the 2024 Republican National Convention and has also consulted for the Republican National Committee.

Trump has a long history of campaign shakeups — he had two in 2016 and one in 2020. But despite his current struggles in the race, Trump has remained solidly behind his current leadership. The former president told The New York Times last week that he was “thrilled” with Wiles and LaCivita.