NEW YORK, June 28 (UPI) — Donald Trump has signed off on hiring three top aides to help fill out his communications and outreach efforts headed into the general election, according to multiple media reports.
Trump hired two top staffers for positions in his campaign’s communications department. Former Republican National Committee communications department staff member Michael Abboud will serve as Trump’s communications coordinator, focusing on rapid response.
A team of campaign staff members dedicated to the constant flow of information on cable news, Twitter and other social media is common in modern elections. Politico reports the Trump campaign is only beginning to hire staff to handle rapid response communications — aside from the candidate himself, who regularly takes to Twitter to personally respond to attacks.
Hope Hicks, the campaign’s press secretary had served as the sole person in charge of public campaign messaging through the primaries. Eschewing traditional campaign arrangements, Politico reports former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski had multiple times said he preferred a tight-knit group of advisers for Trump to a more conventional, larger staff.
Lewandowski was fired from the campaign two weeks ago.
The Trump campaign also announced the first staff member hired from former rival Sen. Ted Cruz‘s team: Jason Miller, who will serve as a senior communications adviser, Bloomberg reported. Miller held the same title with Cruz.
Trump also announced Alan Cobb, formerly a senior adviser to the campaign, will now head up coalition outreach, to help coordinate campaign messaging and volunteers with the various interest groups supporting the presumptive Republican nominee.
“As we continue to work to defeat Hillary Clinton this November, I am constantly building a superior political team,” Trump said in a statement announcing the hires. “After winning the most votes in the history of a Republican primary contest, we are taking our messages to the people so that we can make American great again.”
