In a phone call last month, President Trump offered his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, a White House gig, The Daily Beast reports. The job was a senior post in the Office of Public Liaison, The Daily Beast reports, but Lewandowski ultimately decided that working in that office was "beneath him."
Lewandowski was fired by the Trump campaign in June 2016 and was accused of assaulting a reporter and frequently losing his temper with campaign staff during his tenure as campaign manager. Although he "strongly" considered accepting Trump's offer, per The Daily Beast, Lewandowski apparently concluded that he deserved more than a position in the Office of Public Liaison, which focuses on interest-group outreach, and reportedly told an associate that the position was "chump change."
The offer reportedly came amid speculation that the president wants more familiar faces and Trump loyalists in the White House, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation heats up and senators from within his party increasingly criticize him. Still, one White House official told The Daily Beast that when they heard Trump was apparently considering welcoming Lewandowski to the administration, "I just kept thinking, 'Please, God above, let this not happen.'"
The White House would neither confirm nor deny to The Daily Beast that Lewandowski had been offered a job, and Lewandowski did not respond to requests for comment. This wouldn't be the first time that Trump has longed for the return of one of his former aides, though: In May, The Daily Beast also reported that the president felt "really, really, really bad" about firing former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and wanted to bring him back to the White House — against the wishes of his lawyers — once the FBI finished its investigation of Flynn.