Donald Trump’s PAC’s Former Communications Director: He Didn’t Enter To Win
Donald Trump’s PAC’s former communications director, Stephanie Cegielski, no longer works for him. She now claims in an open letter that the goal was never for “The Donald” to win, and that his bid for the White House was merely a “protest candidacy.”
The open letter, published by XOJane, also explained how Cegielski came to work for Trump.
“Almost a year ago, recruited for my public relations and public policy expertise, I sat in Trump Tower being told that the goal was to get The Donald to poll in double digits and come in second in delegate count. That was it.”
“My support for Trump began probably like yours did. Similar to so many other Americans, I was tired of the rhetoric in Washington.”
After meeting with Trump’s campaign, Cegielski was named the communications director of his Super PAC, Make America Great Again.
When Cegielski signed on, she saw Trump as a man who “really resonates with the masses and would bring people to the process who had never participated before.”
Former Trump political strategist Stephanie Cegielski explainins why she no longer works for him:https://t.co/Pt1ULF60k1
— National Review (@NRO) March 28, 2016
The Turning Point
Like so many other political observers, Cegielski heard Trump utter more and more “politically incorrect” comments, and so she kept waiting for his campaign to implode. But it never happened.
Instead, with every misstatement that would have done in so many other politicians, “The Donald gained more popularity.”
What finally did it for Cegielski was a tweet that Trump let out at the news of a terrorist attack on Christians in the Middle East.
Another radical Islamic attack, this time in Pakistan, targeting Christian women & children. At least 67 dead,400 injured. I alone can solve
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016
Trump’s statement that terrorism is a problem “I alone can solve” angered Cegielski.
“[T]ake a moment to appreciate the ridiculous, cartoonish, almost childish arrogance of saying that he alone can solve. Does Trump think that he is making a cameo on Wrestlemania (yes, one of his actual credits)?”
“This is not how foreign policy works. For anyone. Ever.”
Cegielski ran the PAC until it closed down last October, “citing Trump’s disavowal of Super PACs supporting his campaign,” according to The Free Beacon. She continued to support Trump after that, however.
She says she has since come to realize that Trump is unqualified, and he has done as well as he has because he tapped into “the unprecedented, unbelievable anger.”
“Unfortunately, the more vitriolic Trump has become, the more the people responded to him. That drove him to push the boundaries further and further.”
She told The Free Beacon on March 24, “I am glad he has brought more people to the political process but I question his ability to be the leader of this country.”
But Cegielski was also bothered when she “started seeing a trend of incompetence and deniability.”
“When there was a tweet that contained an error, he would blame it on an intern; when there was a photo containing a World War II Nazi Germany background, he would blame it on an intern; when he answered questions in an overtly controversial fashion, he would claim that he did not properly hear the question. He refused to take responsibility for his actions while frequently demanding apologies from others.”
“Trump never intended to be the candidate,” Cegielski now says. “But his pride is too out of control to stop him now.”
As of this posting, neither the Trump campaign nor Trump’s personal Twitter account has addressed Cegielski and her claims.
What do you think? Was Cegielski right to speak out against Donald Trump?
Update: A Trump spokesperson issued the following statement, as reported by Yahoo News.
“This person was never employed by the Trump campaign. Evidently she worked for a Super PAC which Mr. Trump disavowed and requested the closure of via the FEC. She knows nothing about Mr. Trump or the campaign and her disingenuous and factually inaccurate statements in no way resemble any shred of truth. This is yet another desperate person looking for their fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is running for President because he is the only one who will Make America Great Again.”
[Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images]
