Jim Murphy, Trump’s national political director, is no longer in an active role with the Trump campaign, according to sources at Politico. Murphy confirmed to the news outlet that he has stepped back from the campaign for “personal reasons.”
The confirmation is a big blow for the Trump campaign with less than three weeks until the general election.
Trump aides have noted that Murphy hasn’t been present during the campaign’s final push before Election Day. Murphy joined the campaign in June and has played a key role in setting the campaign up in battleground states.
Trump’s campaign is working diligently in the final stretch to campaign in key battleground states and persuade swing voters to the candidate’s side. Murphy’s absence will be apparent at a time when Trump’s poll numbers have receded.
Murphy and Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort are close allies that have worked together since 1996 on different occasions. The two worked side-by-side during Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. Manafort left the Trump campaign in August.
Trump’s campaign fired former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Strategist Ed Brookover also left the Trump campaign.
Murphy’s departure from the campaign poses further risks for Trump’s campaign, as Republicans have lost support in the Senate in recent weeks due to Trump’s campaign and comments.
