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Trump hires 2020 re-election strategist ahead of US midterms

President Donald Trump has named political strategist Brad Parscale as manager of his 2020 presidential re-election campaign.

Trump campaign digital director Brad Parscale will return in 2020.
Trump campaign digital director Brad Parscale has been tapped to lead the 2020 presidential bid. (AAP)

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President Donald Trump never stopped campaigning after winning the White House and now he's making fresh moves to establish his re-election effort.

The president has named former digital adviser Brad Parscale as campaign manager for his 2020 election bid, a sign he is prioritising loyalty as he works to secure his own political future in what is shaping up to be a bruising midterm election cycle for the GOP.

The rise of Mr Parscale, largely unknown in politics until just two years ago, has been inextricably linked to Mr Trump's own political success.

In a statement, the Trump campaign said Mr Parscale would lead "advanced planning" for the 2020 effort and the campaign would also be engaged in the midterm elections.

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The announcement has turned heads on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have been lobbying the president for months to keep focused on the November 2018 contests.

Mr Trump, whose poll numbers have lagged recent predecessors, has left little doubt about his intention to seek re-election.

He filed the paperwork to organise his re-election committee on Inauguration Day, held his first campaign rally on 18 February, 2017, and has mused publicly about potential Democratic challengers.

Mr Parscale has long been close with the Trump family, a priority for the president as he begins planning his re-election strategy, according to a person familiar with campaign planning.

The digital consultant, an ally of Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, ran the Trump campaign's digital operations in 2016, which included sophisticated social media targeting.

Mr Parscale entered the Trump orbit in 2011 by doing web design work for the Trump family - including the president's real estate firm and son Eric Trump's charity - before Mr Kushner hired him for the campaign.


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