Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale hospitalized for emotional distress


Brad Parscale, a key figure in President Trump's two campaigns, was taken from his house in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday night after a SWAT team responded to a call from his wife that he was heavily armed and threatening to kill himself, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. He was transported to the hospital under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows families to involuntarily admit people for emergency mental health treatment.
"When officers arrived on scene, they made contact with the armed subject's wife, who advised her husband was armed and had access to multiple firearms inside the residence and was threatening to harm himself," Fort Lauderdale Police Department Sgt. DeAnna Greenlaw told CNN. Police officers "developed a rapport, and safely negotiated for him to exit the home," where he "was detained without injury." Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Karen Dietrich said the encounter at the house "was very short," adding, "We went and got him help."
Parscale, 44, ran Trump's digital operations during his 2016 campaign and was campaign manager for his 2020 run until July, when he was demoted but kept on in a senior position. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtagh said in a statement that "Brad Parscale is a member of our family and we all love him," and appeared to blame Trump's critics for his distress: "The disgusting, personal attacks from Democrats and disgruntled RINOs have gone too far, and they should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to this man and his family."
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.
Parscale told the Sun Sentinel after moving to Fort Lauderdale from Texas two years ago that he chose the heavily Democratic city because he loved boating and paying no state income tax. "Politics aside, this fellow obviously suffers from emotional distress," Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis (D) told the newspaper Sunday night. "I'm glad he didn't do any harm to himself or others I commend our SWAT team for being able to negotiate a peaceful ending to this."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Operation Rubific: the government's secret Afghan relocation scheme
The Explainer Massive data leak a 'national embarrassment' that has ended up costing taxpayer billions
-
Melania Trump's intervention on Ukraine
In The Spotlight The first lady has been linked to the president's u-turn on sending arms to Kyiv
-
The Retrievals, series two: 'essential listening'
The Week Recommends The second instalment of this hard-hitting podcast delves into the 'appallingly common injustice' of women having C-sections without pain relief
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
IDF blames 'error' for strike on Gaza water line
Speed Read Israeli forces attack Palestinians, including children, collecting water in central Gaza
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.