Donald Trump is turning to the man who ran the most successful part of his otherwise dysfunctional 2016 campaign to help him win again in 2020.Brad Parscale, previously the Trump campaign’s digital director, is going to be named campaign manager for Trump’s 2020 re-election bid. Parscale, who was interviewed in October by the House Intelligence Committee during their investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, architected the campaign’s aggressive and successful Facebook marketing strategy. His appointment suggests that Trump, once again, expects Facebook to be critical to another presidential victory.“Brad was essential in bringing a disciplined technology and data-driven approach to how the 2016 campaign was run,” Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said in a statement formally announcing Parscale’s appointment. “His leadership and expertise will be help [sic] build a best-in-class campaign.”The Drudge Report first reported news of Parscale’s 2020 job.Prior to working on the Trump campaign, Parscale had no experience in campaign politics. He ran a San Antonio-based digital marketing firm, Giles-Parscale, and first came into contact with the Trumps by designing the websites for Trump Winery and the Eric Trump Foundation. As the Trump 2016 campaign took shape, Parscale was hired to run its digital operations.The Trump campaign’s use of Facebook has been a source of controversy for the platform and pride for the embattled president. This past weekend, former Facebook executive Antonio Garcia Martinez penned an op-ed for Wired detailing how the Trump campaign designed their Facebook ads and targeting system to minimize cost and maximize reach. Responding to the article, which went viral, Parscale boasted in a tweet that the Trump campaign likely paid 100 to 200 times less than the Clinton campaign did for its Facebook ads.In the days before Election Day, Parscale described to Bloomberg a comprehensive Facebook spend focused not just on turning out Trump voters but also on Democratic “voter suppression” through paid ads meant to depress support for Clinton. All in all, the otherwise spendthrift Trump campaign spent about $70 million on Facebook through Election Day, according to the Washington Post.It’s this supposed digital savvy that has earned Parscale a shot at managing the entire campaign, despite his minimal political experience. It also doesn’t hurt that Parscale has been a loyal Trump supporter well after the election, repeatedly defending both the Trump campaign and the White House.“The #FakeNews media continues to lie about the "Hoax,” Parscale tweeted on February 17.” The hoax is the LIE that the campaign colluded with this Russian campaign. “The hoax is the Democrats want you to believe the Russians had real influence over the election.
Cover image: Brad Parscale, then candidate Donald Trump's campaign digital director, stands on the stage of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Friday, July 15, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
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