Trump campaign taps White House aide to oversee rallies

The Trump campaign is bringing on a White House official to help organize its rallies and oversee its advance team as part of an ongoing staff shake-up.

The campaign announced Wednesday that Max Miller will serve as deputy campaign manager for presidential operations and will be responsible for all campaign events that involve President Trump, Vice President Pence or other “notable figures.”

Miller has been serving as the deputy assistant to the president, leading the White House’s advance team, and will answer to Campaign Manager Brad Parscale and Deputy Campaign Manager Bill Stepien.

“I am proud to welcome Max to the team that is going to reelect President Trump less than four months from today,” Parscale said. “Every day, our campaign grows in strength, and Max’s wealth of experience and expertise is an important addition to our team’s world-class advance efforts.”

The hiring comes as the Trump campaign deals with the lingering effects of last month’s rally in Tulsa, Okla.

The rally attracted embarrassing headlines about the empty seats visible in the arena. Outdoor speeches by Trump and Pence were canceled amid low attendance. At least eight campaign staffers and Herman Cain, a prominent surrogate, all tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the event.

The campaign had already been flooded with criticism over the rally after it was initially scheduled for Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the end of slavery, in a city known for one of the worst instances of racial violence in the country’s history. 

Michael Glassner, who had organized campaign rallies, was reassigned to a legal role within the campaign, and Jeff DeWit, a former Arizona state treasurer and Trump’s 2016 Arizona chairman, came on as chief operating officer. The campaign denied the moves had anything to do with the Tulsa event. 

The president’s next rally will take place Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H.