Top Trump pollster moves from super PAC to the campaign

Veteran Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, a longtime ally of Donald Trump who has been involved in his political operation for years, is joining Trump’s campaign as a senior adviser.

Fabrizio had been serving a top strategist for MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC that has raised over $100 million in support of the former president. The move comes as Trump’s team has expanded its political operations as it enters the general election phase of the campaign. Trump’s advisers have recently mounted a takeover of the Republican National Committee, and orchestrated a shake-up in the committee’s top ranks.

“We are ecstatic to welcome Tony Fabrizio to Team Trump. He joins a group of hardworking and talented professionals focused on delivering for President Trump and the American people,” Trump co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.

Under the new arrangement, Fabrizio will be able to communicate directly with Trump and his campaign team. Because super PACs are not legally allowed to coordinate with campaigns, Fabrizio had previously not been able to do so.

John McLaughlin, another veteran Trump pollster who has also been working with the campaign in a senior capacity, will remain in his role, according to a person familiar with the move granted anonymity to discuss the Trump operation.

Fabrizio has a long history in Trump’s orbit, having served as a chief strategist on his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He also advised Trump in the two years after he left the White House, and has worked for an array of statewide and past presidential candidates, including Bob Dole and Rand Paul.

Fabrizio has a reputation for offering unvarnished advice to his clients. During the 2022 midterms, he wrote a memo for a super PAC supporting Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance, warning that the candidate was suffering a “precipitous decline” in the primary and offering advice on steps he could take to improve his standing. Later, after securing Trump’s endorsement, Vance would go on to win the primary and the general election.

”After three-plus years of Joe Biden, Americans are nostalgic for the four years of prosperity, peace and safety that they enjoyed under President Trump. I’m honored that the president and his team have asked me to continue in the fight to make America Great Again,” Fabrizio said in a statement.

CORRECTION: This article incorrectly stated that the super PAC spent $100 million.