White House deputy press secretary J. Hogan Gidley is moving over to President Trump’s reelection campaign team to serve as a top spokesman, campaign officials said Tuesday.
The president himself hinted at the move Tuesday, mentioning Mr. Gidley when asked by reporters whether he planned any changes in his campaign team.
Mr. Trump later called Mr. Gidley a “strong, loyal and trusted member of the team that I know will do an outstanding job!”
“We must WIN this election!” the president tweeted.
The move comes amid finger-pointing and internal criticism of campaign manager Brad Parscale for the president’s sparsely attended “comeback” rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday night. There were thousands of empty seats in the 19,000-seat arena, despite campaign officials predicting a capacity audience and building a stage outdoors for an expected overflow crowd.
“Hogan Gidley has been at the president’s side for three years and now he joins the fight to re-elect him,” Mr. Parscale said in a statement. “He is a talented advocate and defender of the president and his policies and is never afraid to go into battle with hostile reporters and television hosts. Hogan is a great addition to the team and makes us even stronger.”
Mr. Gidley said he is “overwhelmingly humbled and deeply appreciative to President Trump for giving me a front row seat to witness history.”
“My time at the White House has truly been a blessing beyond measure and getting to speak directly to the American people on behalf of this president has been an incredible honor,” he said. “President Trump’s record-setting accomplishments have improved the lives of all Americans, and I can’t wait to get over to the campaign and fight for his re-election.”
The president pointed out on Tuesday that the rally was viewed by an audience of about 7 million on Fox News, a record for the network on a Saturday night.
Mr. Gidley has spent about three years as a top White House spokesman. His move also comes just a few months after Kayleigh McEnany left the campaign in her role as national spokeswoman to become White House press secretary.
Mr. Gidley will serve with campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. “Hogan is a professional communicator and he brings with him an impressive career and great experience in political campaigns,” Mr. Murtaugh said.
“He also has in-depth knowledge of President Trump’s accomplishments and a keen grasp of administration policies. Hogan has long been a valued member of Team Trump and we look forward to his putting his talents to work to re-elect President Trump.”
