Past adviser Johnny DeStefano is joining the White House to focus on midterm strategy.
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The White House is in discussions about bringing President Donald Trump’s former top campaign spokesman and longtime communications adviser, Jason Miller, in as part of a new effort to boost its messaging operation ahead of the midterm elections.
The appointment has not been finalized, a senior White House official told The Washington Post. But three other people with knowledge of the plan being considered said Miller, who has most recently served as a lobbyist after advising Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, would be focused on communication strategy ahead of the midterms. The people were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Former Trump adviser Johnny DeStefano, meanwhile, is set to join the White House as an unpaid special government employee and report to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to the senior White House official. DeStefano will be helping with overall midterm strategy, the official said.
DeStefano is close to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), and will focus in part on improving relations with the Senate, said another person with knowledge of his new role.
The potential shake-up highlights the White House’s efforts to appeal to voters ahead of the midterm elections, in response to Trump’s continued political struggles, two of the people said. The president’s popularity has remained underwater, with his approval rating in the upper 30s and disapproval reaching the high 50s, according to public polling. Trump similarly has engaged in limited domestic travel so far this year, despite aides late last year saying Trump would travel near-weekly beginning in January.
The president is expected to ramp up his domestic travel to twice a week starting around Labor Day, according to a senior White House official, following a Republican midterm convention slated for Dallas in early September.
Miller and DeStefano did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One of the people with knowledge of the transition noted DeStefano’s new role comes as Trump has angered some Republicans in Congress and deadlocked the administration’s legislative agenda. The other person noted that Miller, if his hiring is finalized, would join the White House as Trump’s existing communications team, led by communications director Steven Cheung and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, remains. Cheung and Leavitt have worked constantly since the start of an administration that has operated at a whirlwind pace.
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Before the 2024 election, Miller, a longtime political communications strategist, also worked as an adviser on Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 reelection bid and was a chief spokesman on Trump’s 2016 campaign after first working for Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) presidential campaign.
The White House sees Miller as an experienced professional trusted by the president and the rest of his current team, according to one of the people with knowledge of the potential transition.
It would be Miller’s first stint in a Trump White House, despite remaining close to the operation during both administrations. Trump had initially appointed Miller as his communications director after winning his 2016 campaign. After allegations broke of an extramarital affair with a Trump campaign staff member, Miller announced he would not accept the White House role. Miller, who was married, later confirmed he was fathering a son born to the staffer and remained with his wife.
DeStefano worked in the White House during Trump’s first term in roles that included overseeing political affairs and personnel.
The staffing changes also come as a former White House deputy chief of staff and longtime Trump aide, Nick Luna, is on deck to become Vice President JD Vance’s next chief of staff.
Luna, who served as the president’s personal aide during his first term, will take the top job in Vance’s office in August, according to a person with knowledge of the change. The vice president worked with Luna as Vance became Trump’s running mate and developed trust with him during that time, said a second person with knowledge of the Luna transition.
Luna has more background in politics than Vance’s outgoing chief of staff, Jacob Reses, who has focused on policy.
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