'Old acquaintance' worries Trump campaign

Trump's 2024 campaign is running very professionally, but the return of the former president's old allies is causing concern.

Former President Donald Trump is gradually bringing back his old allies to join his campaign this year, former aides hoping to influence his re-election effort and secure a voice in the administration if he wins.

This poses a headache for the former president's campaign team, who fear that campaign management efforts could be upended at any moment.

“Trump always wants to feel comfortable with the people who once surrounded him, and what better way to do that than to reunite with them,” said Bill Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Since Mr. Trump secured the Republican nomination earlier this month, many former allies have sought to move closer to or join the former president’s team.

Former President Donald Trump (center) with his core aides in Des Moines, Iowa, January 15. Photo: Reuters

Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager, could return to the role later this year, The Washington Post reported, citing four people close to the former president. Manafort’s work is expected to focus on the Republican National Convention in July or fundraising for his re-election effort.

Manafort was sentenced in 2019 to 43 months in prison on charges of secret lobbying and lying about witness tampering. He was the longest prison sentence in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 presidential election. Trump pardoned Manafort in 2020.

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), told MSNBC that Manafort returned to establish control of the convention to ensure everything would go smoothly for Mr. Trump in his journey to become the party's official nominee.

"I don't think people really understood what we were going to do. This campaign was very difficult because these people were focused on one thing: 'Trump is definitely coming back to power,'" Steele said.

Corey Lewandowski, Mr Trump's first campaign manager in 2016, is reportedly set to return at the Republican National Convention. Lewandowski was removed from a pro-Trump political action committee in 2021 after a donor's wife accused him of inappropriate behavior.

Roger Stone, a friend and ally of Trump's for 30 years, still speaks occasionally with the former president and was at the Super Tuesday victory party at Mar-a-Lago. Stone was convicted of obstructing a congressional investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign and sentenced to 40 months in prison before the former president commuted his sentence.

Rapper Kurt Jantz was also at the Super Tuesday party. Jantz's songs have been criticized for being homophobic and glorifying violence, leading to his suspension from social media.

"He is the American dream. I supported Trump since 2015. I was one of his earliest supporters. At first, it was just admiration for his life with his beautiful wife and the wonderful mansion that we are standing here. That is what everyone wants," Jantz said.

But the efforts of old acquaintances to find a place alongside Trump have complicated the work of Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, longtime politicians who are leading the former president's professional campaign team.

Christina Bobb, a lawyer who amplified many of Mr. Trump’s false claims of election fraud, faced skepticism about her abilities during the campaign. She joined the RNC as a senior adviser on election integrity.

Donald Trump (left) and campaign manager Paul Manafort at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July 2016. Photo: Reuters

Ms Wiles is said to have tried to stop Mr Trump from recruiting far-right activist Laura Loomer, who regularly spreads conspiracy theories and has anti-Muslim sentiments.

"In a normal world , a presidential candidate would want nothing to do with Laura Loomer, but now she's at Mar-a-Lago. Of course, they can rely on her to attack any conservatives who don't support Trump's statements," said conservative commentator Charlie Sykes.

Trump has continued to hold phone calls with people who have no knowledge of his campaign, a concern that has many critics concerned that if he returns to the White House, Trump will promote his administration based on loyalty, favoring those close to the MAGA movement that soured his first term.

Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, said that Mr. Trump clearly dislikes the leadership in Washington and he wants a group of trusted people who are willing to carry out his orders without regard to legal barriers or the concerns of others.

"These are soldiers in the Trump army. They will do whatever it takes to win and we saw that. They did it in 2020 and it could happen again this year," Jacobs said.

Thanh Tam (According to The Guardian, Washington Post, Reuters )

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