Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016

This page details the staff and advisors for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

For details on Trump's White House staff see this page.

Donald Trump

See also: Donald Trump White House staff

There were three distinct phases to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign that could be seen through his top-level staffing decisions: the Lewandowski campaign, the Manafort campaign, and the Bannon campaign. The initial staffing involved only a handful of key advisors, including longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone. Trump hired Corey Lewandowski, whose motto was "Let Trump be Trump," as campaign manager in February 2015.[1] Lewandowski came from Americans for Prosperity, a 501(c)(4) organization associated with David and Charles Koch, as did a number of early staffers. These early hires—combined with his choices for communications—suggested that Trump intended to build a smaller staff that did not come from the traditional consultant class in the Republican Party. Trump added his foreign policy team in March 2016, continuing the trend of hiring staffers with little traditional experience in political consulting. The New York Times reported that many policy experts were "scratching their heads as they tried to identify his choices."[2]

The second phase of the campaign began when Trump's hiring and promotion shifted from the non-traditional to more established consultants. In March 2016, as the potential for a contested convention increased, Trump hired Paul Manafort—who has worked in presidential politics since the 1976 Republican convention—as his convention manager.[3] Trump also promoted Michael Glassner, a longtime aide to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), to deputy campaign manager.[4] By the New York primary elections on April 19, Manafort had taken on an expanded role in the campaign. He helped to hire former Scott Walker campaign manager Rick Wiley as well as former Chris Christie campaign manager Ken McKay. Manafort and Wiley were then authorized "to take the reins in upcoming states" with a significantly expanded budget.[5] Manafort's role expansion came as campaign manager Corey Lewandowski's role was diminished "to a role that amounts to body man and scheduler," according to CBS News.[6] The campaign itself began to shift in its approach to the nomination and an anticipated general election, with Manafort instituting more policy speeches and the use of teleprompters and speechwriters.[7] On June 20, 2016, Lewandowski was fired as campaign manager, solidifying Manafort's role as the top staff member.

Manafort's position in the campaign changed in August 2016 when Trump hired Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as his chief executive and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to the role of campaign manager. Manafort resigned on August 19, two days after Bannon joined the campaign.[8] Bannon's approach to political reporting, which CBS News described as "happy to embrace fringe beliefs," contrasted with Manafort's previous efforts to work with established consultants.[9] Conway, a longtime pollster and analyst of young and female voters, was the closest Trump's campaign came to a traditional pollster and data analyst.

## Contents

* 1 Key campaign staff and advisors
* 1.1 Management and strategy
* 1.2 Convention and delegate strategy
* 1.3 Communications
* 1.4 Advisors
* 1.5 Foreign policy
* 1.6 Battleground state directors
* 1.7 Legal counsel
* 1.8 Other staff
* 2 Departures
* 2.1 Carter Page
* 2.2 Paul Manafort
* 2.3 Ed Brookover
* 2.4 Corey Lewandowski
* 2.5 Ken McKay
* 2.6 Sam Nunberg
* 2.7 Roger Stone
* 2.8 Chuck Laudner and Ryan Keller
* 2.9 Stuart Jolly
* 2.10 Rick Wiley
* 3 Recent news
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Key campaign staff and advisors[edit]

For a timeline of Trump's staff moves, see: Donald Trump presidential campaign staff hiring timeline, 2016

The following tables detail the key staff and advisors Ballotpedia has identified for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. These staff tables are divided based on campaign roles. The leftmost column indicates the individual staff member or advisor. The middle column details that individual's relationship to Trump's 2016 campaign. The final column indicates the individual's experience prior to working with Trump. More detailed profiles of individuals can be found by clicking the links in the leftmost column.

### Management and strategy[edit]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

Steve Bannon| Executive chairman| •Breitbart News
Kellyanne Conway| Campaign manager| •Jack Kemp U.S. House
•Marsha Blackburn U.S. House
•Lee Zeldin U.S. House
•Steve King U.S. House
•Dan Quayle
• Newt Gingrich (R) U.S. House
•Ted Cruz U.S. Senate
•Fred Thompson U.S. Senate
•Mike Pence gubernatorial
David Bossie| Deputy campaign manager| •United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight
•Citizens United
•Make America Number 1
Michael Glassner| Deputy campaign manager| •Bob Dole 1988 presidential
•Bob Dole 1992 U.S. Senate
•Bob Dole 1996 presidential
•George W. Bush 2000 presidential
•Sarah Palin 2008 vice presidential
•SarahPAC chief of staff
Jim Murphy| National political director| •Gordon Humphrey 1984 U.S. Senate
•National Republican Senatorial Committee
•Bob Dole 1988 presidential
•Brad Gorham 1990 Rhode Island Attorney General
•Bob Dole 1996 presidential•DCI Group
•JLM Consulting
John Mashburn| Policy director| •Office of Sen. Jesse Helms
•Office of Sen. Trent Lott
•Office of Sen. John Ashcroft
•Office of Rep. Tom Delay
•Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice
•Carleson Center for Public Policy
•Office of Sen. Thom Tillis
Alan Cobb| Director of coalitions| •Bob Dole 1996 presidential
•Koch Industries
•Tim Shallenburger 2002 gubernatorial
•Mike Pompeo 2014 U.S. House
•Pat Roberts 2014 U.S. Senate
•Americans for Prosperity
Brad Parscale| Digital director| •Giles-Parscale
•Parscale Media

### Convention and delegate strategy[edit]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

Barry Bennett| Strategist| •Rob Portman 1993 U.S. House
•Jean Schmidt 2005 U.S. House
•Rick Perry 2012 presidential
•Liz Cheney 2014 U.S. Senate
•Ben Carson 2016 presidential
Brian Jack| National delegate management director| •Republican National Committee
•AIPAC
•Ben Carson 2016 presidential
Doug Davenport| Delegate strategist| •Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly
•GTECH Corporation
•DCI Group
•John McCain 2008 presidential
•Across the Aisle Music
Mike McSherry| Delegate strategist| •Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential
•George H.W. Bush 1988 presidential
•U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
•George Allen 1993 gubernatorial
•Bob Dole 1996 presidential
•Republican Party of Virginia
•Office of Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-Va.)
•Republican Governors Association
•Republican National Committee
•National Republican Senatorial Committee

### Communications[edit]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

Daniel Scavino| Director of social media| •Coca-Cola 1998–2003
•Trump Organization Golf Division 2003–2013
Hope Hicks| Communications director| •Hiltzik Strategies
Justin McConney| Director of new media|
Jason Miller| Senior communications advisor| •Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) 2004 U.S. Senate
•Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) 2006 U.S. Senate
•George Allen (R-Va.) 2006 U.S. Senate
•Rudy Giuliani 2008 presidential
•Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) 2013 U.S. Senate
•Ted Cruz 2016 presidential
Katrina Pierson| National campaign spokesperson| •Garland Texas Tea Party
•Ted Cruz 2012 U.S. Senate
•Tea Party Leadership Fund PAC

### Advisors[edit]

Note: Roger Stone is listed here because of his ongoing relationship to Trump throughout the campaign, which he described in November 2015: "We talk on a semi-regular basis and it’s cordial. But I have no formal — I resigned any formal role. We just talk politics."[10]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

Roger Stone| Informal advisor| •Richard Nixon 1972 presidential
•Ronald Reagan 1976 presidential
•Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential
•Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential
•Jack Kemp 1988 presidential
•Donald Trump 2016 presidential
Sam Clovis| Co-chair and policy advisor| •2014 U.S. Senate candidate
•2014 Iowa State Treasurer candidate
•Rick Perry 2016 presidential
Sarah Huckabee Sanders| Senior advisor| •Mike Huckabee 2002 gubernatorial
•George W. Bush 2004 presidential
•Mike Huckabee 2008 presidential
•John Boozman 2010 U.S. Senate
•Tim Pawlenty 2012 presidential
•Tom Cotton 2014 U.S. Senate
•Mike Huckabee 2016 presidential
Michael Biundo| Senior advisor| •Pat Buchanan 1996 presidential
•Frank Guinta 2010 U.S. House, 2005 and 2007 Manchester, NH mayoral
•Rick Santorum 2012 presidential
•Mitt Romney 2012 presidential
•Rand Paul 2016 presidential
•John Kasich 2016 presidential
Omarosa Manigault| Director of African American outreach|

### Foreign policy[edit]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

George Papadopoulos| Foreign policy advisor| •Hudson Institute
•London Center of International Law Practice
Joseph Keith Kellogg| Foreign policy advisor| •Army 1967-2003
•Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority 2003-2004
Joseph Schmitz| Foreign policy advisor| •Managing Director (WDC), Freeh Group International
•CEO, Joseph E. Schmitz, PLLC
•Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, The Prince Group
•Inspector General of the Department of Defense
Walid Phares| Foreign policy advisor| •Mitt Romney 2012 presidential
• Fox News, Middle East and terrorism expert

### Battleground state directors[edit]

Individual| Role| Previous Experience

|
|

Patrick Davis| Colorado| •George H.W. Bush 1992 presidential
•Republican Party of South Dakota
•National Republican Senatorial Committee
•Vote 2 Reduce Debt PAC
•Coloradans for Better Schools
•Go America PAC
Jennifer Locetta| Florida| •Republican Party of Florida
•Richard DeNapoli 2014 U.S. Senate
Eric Branstad| Iowa| •George W. Bush 2004 presidential
•Iowans for Tax Relief
•America's Renewable Future
•Matchpoint Strategies
Scott Hagerstrom| Michigan| •Michigan House of Representatives
•Americans for Prosperity Michigan chapter
•Coalition Against Higher Taxes and Special Interest Deals
Mike Lukach| Minnesota| •Judy Biggert 2012 U.S. House
•Ron Walters 2013 U.S. House
•Stewart Mills 2014 U.S. House
•Scott Walker 2016 presidential
Charles Munoz| Nevada| •Americans for Prosperity, Nevada
Matt Ciepielowski| New Hampshire| •Americans for Prosperity, New Hampshire
Jason Simmons| North Carolina| •Mitt Romney 2012 presidential
•Office of Gov. Pat McCrory
•North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Bob Paduchik| Ohio| •Office of Gov. Bob Taft (R-Ohio)
•George W. Bush 2000 presidential
•U.S. Department of Energy
•George W. Bush 2004 presidential
•DCI Group
•Rob Portman 2010 U.S. Senate
•American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
•Jeb Bush 2016 presidential
Ted Christian| Pennsylvania| •Christine Todd Whitman 1997 gubernatorial
•Republican Party of New Jersey
•National Republican Congressional Committee
•George W. Bush 2004 presidential
•Rick Santorum 2006 U.S. Senate
•John McCain 2008 presidential
Ed McMullen| South Carolina| • South Carolina Policy Council
Pete Meachum| Wisconsin| •Chief of staff, Office of Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite
•Director of member services, Office of Rep. Kevin McCarthy
•Director of development, American Action Network
Chief of staff, Rep. Sean Duffy

### Legal counsel[edit]

Ballotpedia has identified the following individuals as legal counsel for the Trump campaign:

* Donald McGahn
* Jesse Binnall
* David Warrington

### Other staff[edit]

* Thomas Midanek: Midanek was announced as Trump's Virginia state director in July 2016 but was transferred out of the state in early September 2016. He was replaced as state director by Mark Kevin Lloyd and Trump operations in Virginia were handled by Mike Rubino, who ran Trump's Virginia primary campaign.[11]
* Boris Epshteyn: Epshteyn is a Trump surrogate who made frequent television appearances to expand on and defend Trump's positions. He previously worked as a communications aide for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and has experience in the private business sector.[12]

## Departures[edit]

See also: Presidential campaign staff transfers, resignations and terminations

The following staff members departed Trump's campaign prior to Election Day.

### Carter Page[edit]

See also: Carter Page

On September 26, 2016, Page stepped down from Trump's campaign. Page's resignation came amid speculation that he had engaged in discussions with top officials in the Russian government while in Moscow for a July speech. According to Yahoo News, U.S. intelligence officials were investigating allegations that Page had "talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes president."[13] Shortly after the accusations were made, Page left the campaign. He denied the allegations to The Washington Post, saying, "All the ones that are mentioned in the various articles, I didn’t meet with any of those guys. It’s completely false and inconceivable that someone would even accuse me of that." Page then said he would leave the campaign to avoid further distractions: "This is another distraction that’s been created here. There’s so little time between now and the election, this is in the best interests of the candidate."[14]

### Paul Manafort[edit]

See also: Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign chair and chief strategist, resigned his position on August 19, 2016, two days after Trump hired Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as the campaign chief executive and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to the position of campaign manager.[8] Manafort originally joined the campaign in March 2016 as convention manager.[15]

### Ed Brookover[edit]

See also: Ed Brookover

Ed Brookover, Trump's senior advisor who helped organize the Republican National Convention, was fired from the campaign on August 1, 2016. According to Politico, Brookover's firing was part of a "campaign shakeup," and two other Trump aides, William McGinley and Mike McSherry, were set to take on expanded roles in the campaign.[16]

### Corey Lewandowski[edit]

See also: Corey Lewandowski

On June 20, 2016, it was reported that Corey Lewandowski would no longer be Donald Trump's presidential campaign manager.[17]

### Ken McKay[edit]

See also: Ken McKay

After being hired in April as an advisor to the campaign, McKay left in early June to advise the pro-Trump super PAC Rebuilding America Now. The super PAC told NBC News that McKay was a volunteer for Trump's campaign and that his decision to join the super PAC did not violate federal laws on coordination.[18]

### Sam Nunberg[edit]

See also: Sam Nunberg

Sam Nunberg, an advisor to Donald Trump since early 2014, arranged in February 2014 for Buzzfeed writer McCay Coppins to write a profile on Trump for the website. When it was published, the profile cast Trump in a negative light, calling him "a man startled by his suddenly fading relevance — and consumed by a desperate need to get it back."[19] When the article appeared, Nunberg was fired.[20] In April 2014, however, Nunberg was rehired to his same position.[21]

On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his bid for the presidency at Trump Tower in New York City.[22] Nunberg remained on the campaign team as an advisor.[23]

Nunberg was again fired from the campaign in August 2015. Business Insider reported on Nunberg's history of racially charged and provocative social media activities dating back to 2007. The report noted that Nunberg had a history of attacking African American leaders, like Al Sharpton, and President Barack Obama: "Among other things, Nunberg called Obama a 'Socialist Marxist Islamo Fascist Nazi Appeaser' and 'Farrakahn's Messiah.'"[24] According to NBC News, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski called Nunberg a "short-time consultant with the campaign." Nunberg was terminated on August 2, 2015.[25]

### Roger Stone[edit]

See also: Roger Stone

Roger Stone left Trump's campaign during the first week of August 2015. Trump said that he fired Stone, while Stone told the press that he resigned.[26][27] In an interview on April 5, 2016, Stone commented on what he would do if the presidential nominating convention is contested:

“  | We will disclose the hotels and the room numbers of those delegates who are directly involved in the steal. If you're from Pennsylvania, we'll tell you who the culprits are. We urge you to visit their hotel and find them.[28] | ”

|
|

[29]

### Chuck Laudner and Ryan Keller[edit]

See also: Chuck Laudner and Ryan Keller

On March 28, 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's two highest ranking aides in Iowa—State Director Chuck Laudner and Deputy State Director Ryan Keller—were no longer employed by the Trump campaign. Both aides said their contracts had expired, and Keller indicated that "he hadn’t 'put that much thought' into whether he would rejoin for the general election."[30]

### Stuart Jolly[edit]

See also: Stuart Jolly

National Field Director Stuart Jolly resigned his position on April 18, 2016, after the campaign hired Rick Wiley to be the national political director. According to CNN, "Jolly was a longtime loyalist to Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and Jolly's departure shrinks the circle of loyal aides Lewandowski has around him as Paul Manafort, Trump's recent hire to manage the convention strategy, gains more clout in the Trump campaign." Jolly also stated, "I left. I wasn't pushed, I wasn't shoved, I wasn't asked to leave."[31]

### Rick Wiley[edit]

See also: Rick Wiley

On May 25, 2016, National Political Director Rick Wiley and the Trump campaign parted ways. According to Politico, Wiley had previously been in an altercation with Karen Giorno, a Trump advisor who ran the primary campaign in Florida. The article noted, "For weeks, Wiley made appointments and had discussions with Florida Republicans and appeared to be building a new campaign from scratch, sources say. They say he refused, at times, to return Giorno’s calls or take them." On May 25, the Trump campaign issued a statement, saying, "Rick Wiley was hired on a short-term basis as a consultant until the campaign was running full steam. It is now doing better than ever, we are leading in the polls, and we have many exciting events ready to go, far ahead of schedule while Hillary continues her long, boring quest against Bernie."[32]

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Donald Trump Campaign Staff. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016 - Google News

## See also[edit]

* Donald Trump
* Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff and advisors experience, 2016
* Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

## External links[edit]

* Official Campaign Website

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Washington Post, "Trump says he is serious about 2016 bid, is hiring staff and delaying TV gig," February 25, 2015
2. ↑ The New York Times, "Top Experts Confounded by Advisers to Donald Trump," March 22, 2016
3. ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump Hires Paul Manafort to Lead Delegate Effort," March 28, 2016
4. ↑ Donald J. Trump for President, "​Donald J. Trump Continues To Expand Campaign Staff," March 2, 2016
5. ↑ Politico, "Trump orders new campaign hierarchy, spending plan," April 18, 2016
6. ↑ CBS News, "Donald Trump reorganizes campaign just before big state primaries," April 18, 2016
7. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Plans to Adopt More-Traditional Campaign Tactics," April 20, 2016
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Washington Post, "Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigns," August 19, 2016
9. ↑ CBS News, "Steve Bannon and the alt-right: a primer," August 19, 2016
10. ↑ Talking Points Memo, "The TPM Interview: Roger Stone May Be Off The Campaign, But He Still Has Trump's Ear," November 2, 2015
11. ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Trump dials back paid presidential campaign staff in Virginia," October 13, 2016
12. ↑ LinkedIn, "Boris Epshteyn," accessed October 17, 2016
13. ↑ Yahoo News, "U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin," September 23, 2016
14. ↑ The Washington Post, "Trump’s Russia adviser speaks out, calls accusations ‘complete garbage,’" September 26, 2016
15. ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump Hires Paul Manafort to Lead Delegate Effort," March 28, 2016
16. ↑ Politico, "Trump aide Brookover fired," August 1, 2016
17. ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump Parts Ways With Corey Lewandowski, His Campaign Manager," June 20, 2016
18. ↑ NBC News, "Pro-Trump Super PAC Hire Tests Federal Election Rules," August 16, 2016
19. ↑ Buzzfeed, "36 Hours On The Fake Campaign Trail With Donald Trump," February 13, 2014
20. ↑ Politico, "Fired Donald Trump aide thought BuzzFeed profile was 'fantastic,'" February 18, 2014
21. ↑ Daily Caller, "Sam Nunberg Is Officially Back On The Stump With Trump," August 26, 2014
22. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Enters 2016 Presidential Race," June 16, 2015
23. ↑ P2016, "Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.," accessed June 26, 2015
24. ↑ Business Insider, "Top Trump adviser has a history of provocative and racial Facebook posts," July 31, 2015
25. ↑ NBC News, "Trump Campaign Staffer Sam Nunberg Fired After Racist Facebook Posts Uncovered," August 3, 2015
26. ↑ Washington Post, "Donald Trump struggles to turn political fling into a durable campaign," August 9, 2015
27. ↑ Politico, "Trump prepares to bolster depleted staff," August 10, 2015
28. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
29. ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Roger Stone Threatens To Sic Trump Voters On Delegates Who 'Steal' Nom (VIDEO)," April 5, 2016
30. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Clinton Digs In as Trump Moves On," March 28, 2016
31. ↑ CNN, "Donald Trump's field director resigns," April 19, 2016
32. ↑ Politico, "Trump fires top aide," May 25, 2016

v • e

Influencers

Main|

What is an influencer? Contact the Ballotpedia team

v • e

2016 Presidential Candidate Key Staffers and Advisors

Overview|

Presidential election, 2016 • Presidential candidates, 2016
• Key staffers by candidate, 2016 • Key staffers by experience, 2016

* * *

General election campaigns|

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign key staff
Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff

* * *

Suspended campaigns|

Lincoln Chafee presidential campaign key staff • Martin O'Malley presidential campaign key staff
• Bernie Sanders presidential campaign key staff • Jim Webb presidential campaign key staff
Jeb Bush presidential campaign key staff •Ben Carson presidential campaign key staff
•Chris Christie presidential campaign key staff • Ted Cruz presidential campaign key staff
• Carly Fiorina presidential campaign key staff • Lindsey Graham presidential campaign key staff
• Mike Huckabee presidential campaign key staff • Bobby Jindal presidential key staff
•John Kasich presidential campaign key staff • George Pataki presidential campaign key staff
• Rand Paul presidential campaign key staff • Rick Perry presidential campaign key staff
• Marco Rubio presidential campaign key staff • Rick Santorum presidential campaign key staff
• Scott Walker presidential campaign key staff