In an interview with MSNBC broadcast on Saturday, former Republican strategist Rick Wilson alleged that President Donald Trump is being taken “to the cleaners” by members of his own campaign, Raw Story reported.
Speaking with anchor Joy Reid, Wilson said that Trump has spent “hundreds of millions” on Facebook advertisements and similar ad campaigns, but his poll numbers haven’t improved.
“These guys are playing him, milking him like a cow. And I never want to see that image in my head again. But they are taking Donald Trump to the cleaners.”
Wilson then slammed Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale, arguing that the operative has already spent “enormous” sums on the 2020 presidential election . He then accused Parscale of enriching himself.
“Brad got a Ferrari. Brad got a Land Rover. Brad got a $2.5 million house on the water in Fort Lauderdale. Brad got a yacht,” he said.
The strategist said that Parscale has convinced Trump that he access to a “secret sauce voodoo” to maximize the impact of Facebook advertisements. However, Wilson added, Parscale does not actually have access to special tools that would allow the Trump campaign to dominate Facebook — he is simply using the platform’s publicly available targeting technology.
But Parscale is only “the conduit,” Wilson continued, alleging that the president’s campaign manager is funneling cash to Lara Lea Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and others.
“God knows who else in the Trump family is on the teat on that from Brad’s good offices, but I assure you, the number isn’t zero,” Wilson concluded.
Similar allegations have already been made about Parscale. Earlier this month, journalist Jonathan V. Last said that Parscale has persuaded Trump that his digital operation is key to winning the 2020 presidential election. Much like Wilson, the journalist argued that the campaign manager has convinced the president that he has access to a “magical machine” that allows him to use internet marketing in an unprecedented way.
Parscale, who worked in internet marketing before joining the Trump campaign, has publicly bragged about the president’s 2020 digital operation. He has also touted Trump’s “enormous lead in cash” over former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign.
Polls suggest that the Trump campaign’s efforts have not paid off, at least not yet. For instance, according to a Fox News survey released earlier this week, Biden is polling eight points ahead of Trump nationwide. The Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee has surged six points since April, according to the poll.
The Trump campaign’s latest investment is reportedly an online ad blitz aimed at Biden’s record on race and mass incarceration.
