Former president also says in press conference he is \u2018entitled to personal attacks\u2019 against Democratic rival<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donald Trump<\/a> expanded his circle of senior advisers on Thursday, adding five new aides including his former 2016 presidential campaign chief as the campaign attempts to find effective attacks against Kamala Harris<\/a>, according to people familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The former president brought Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer and Alex Bruesewitz from the Trump-aligned Maga Inc political action committee, as well as previous Trump campaign veterans Corey Lewandowski and Tim Murtaugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new additions are coming onto the Trump campaign as senior advisers, meaning they are lateral hires to a campaign still being run by co-campaign chiefs Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, the people said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lewandowski previously ran the 2016 campaign but does not have the same role again. He has remained an informal adviser to Trump since the first presidential campaign, and will continue that function but in a more formal capacity through the final stretch to November, one of the people said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murtaugh, who was the communications director for the 2020 campaign, is returning in a broader role, as will Budowich, Pfeiffer and Bruesewitz, one of the people said. Bruesewitz has a large online following and is expected to help direct social outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The additions came after senior aides on the Trump campaign found themselves open to criticism and challenges to their positions after perhaps the rockiest stretch for the campaign since it launched in 2022, the Guardian has previously reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The summer months have historically been the time that Trump makes changes to his campaign chiefs, as he did in 2016 when he installed Kellyanne Conway, Steve Bannon, and David Bossie to take the reins, as well as in 2020, when he replaced Brad Parscale with Bill Stepien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The past month has been bad enough for the Trump campaign that advisers have taken those challenges \u2013 whether from enemies real or perceived \u2013 as serious threats or slights that necessitate devoting time and effort to slap down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on Thursday, Trump held a press event at his New Jersey golf club, during which he said he felt \u201centitled to personal attacks\u201d on his Democratic opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During what had been pitched as a news conference, the former president delivered a meandering 45-min speech that more closely resembled one of his rallies \u2013 repeating many of his signature lies and falsehoods \u2013 before he took any questions from reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump was asked if he agrees with the argument that his current strategy of personal attacks on Harris isn\u2019t working. Trump said he believes he is \u201centitled to personal attacks\u201d because he is \u201cvery angry\u201d at \u201cwhat [Harris] has done to the country\u201d, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t have a lot of respect for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump was also asked about his hiring of five new operatives, and denied that this was a sign of a shifting strategy. He said Corey Lewandowski was coming in as a \u201cpersonal envoy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Harris campaign tried to make the most of the event, issuing a sarcastic advisory to reporters beforehand letting them know Trump was primed to \u201cramble incoherently\u201d in a location that is \u201cnot a battleground state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTune in for the same old thing,\u201d the briefing read<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n