How Trump's ex-campaign manager allowed Jared Kushner to 'rule from afar'

Brad Parscale is no longer President Trump's re-election campaign manager, but he had some real influence within President Trump's inner circle for some time, New York reports. That's largely because of his close relationship with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who apparently has a lot of detractors within the campaign.
Sources told New York that Parscale's true value to the campaign wasn't so much his skills as a political operative, but rather the fact that he seemed to always have Kushner's back. "Brad was willing to do whatever Jared said keep quiet about it," a senior White official told New York. "Brad was willing to get yelled at by the president and not say, 'Well, actually this was Jared's decision.' And Jared got to rule from afar because Brad would do whatever he said."
In turn, the source said, Parscale made a lot of money "and got to live by the pool in Florida. It was almost like this weird mutual partnership, whether they knew it or not."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But even if Parscale wasn't around, it seems unlikely Kushner would have struggled to grasp the reins of the campaign. Ultimately, Parscale got demoted and was replaced by Bill Stepien, who is also considered a Kushner ally. Per New York, "Kushner's influence is so total that, even when his proxy is removed, he's just replaced by yet another proxy." Read more at New York.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 22, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - bricking it, I can buy myself flowers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
Cartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The AI arms race
Talking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
By The Week UK Published
-
Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection
Speed Read The longest-serving Senate party leader is retiring
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump reportedly wants to take over US Postal Service
Speed Read President Trump is making plans to disband the leadership of USPS and absorb the agency into his administration
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump seeks to end New York's congestion pricing
Speed Read The MTA quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the move
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published