Stepian’s announcement means that two heads of the president’s political apparatus have now contracted the coronavirus: RNC president Rona McCadanile announced early Friday that he too was infected. The news comes at a dangerous moment for Trump, with polls showing that former Vice President B Biden is left behind in the battlefield states’ defeat and the days to build a lost ground are dwindling.
After White House adviser Hope Hicks tested positive on Thursday, senior members of the re-election campaign conducted their own tests. Others, including Clark, tested negative.
Stephen visited Cleveland on Tuesday for a presidential discussion. He joined Trump and Hicks aboard Air Force One. The campaign manager was also with the president at the White House on Monday.
With Trump and Walter Reed hospitalized until noon Friday, his advisers are rushing to reconsider their plans for the final month of the campaign. They canceled plans for Friday’s rally in Florida and postponed Saturday’s rallies in Wisconsin. They have postponed a West Coast swing through Nevada and Arizona next week.
While the president relies on individual relays even in the midst of epidemics, investigations into the conduct of virtual events in his inner circle have begun. They rely on the wishes of surrogates for individual programs, including Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s sons Don Jr. and Eric and the president’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump. Everyone has tested negative for Covid-19.
With Trump’s diagnosis, he has stepped up the campaign’s coronavirus management, which he has tried hard to avoid. And that has been changed by his political operation: Early Friday, Stephen sent a memo to staff that no “Anyone who has been exposed to a positive test should start self-quarantine immediately. “
“While we don’t believe in symptoms without the need for self-quarantine at the moment, however, we all continue to use this strict judgment and practice what the campaign has long promoted,” he added, including wearing masks and Handwashing is included.
Stepian will call a separate conference on Saturday with campaign workers and grassroots leaders. Pence is expected to participate in a call.
Stepian was made campaign manager in July, replacing Brad Parcel. As the presidential election figures deteriorated, Stephen rushed to impose discipline on the wider organization, forcing employees to increase their working hours and influencing them to think that every day is important. He restructured the organization, reviewed the budget, and increased access to campaign officers located in the war-torn state.
Prior to joining the campaign in late 2018, Stephen served as the White House’s political director, forming a close relationship with the president and his New Jersey ally, Jared Kushner. He oversaw Trump’s field efforts for the 2016 general election campaign.
Kelly Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager and former senior White House official, announced separately on Friday evening that she had contracted the virus.
