Jim Murphy, a longtime Republican operative, has played a key role in setting up field programs in battleground states. | Getty Trump national political director 'steps back' from campaign Move comes as campaign mobilizes for final crucial push.

Jim Murphy, Donald Trump’s national political director, is no longer playing an active role on the campaign, according to three sources briefed on the move – a troubling development for the Republican nominee coming just 19 days before the election.

"I have not resigned but for personal reasons have had to take a step back from the campaign," Murphy said in a statement to POLITICO. He did not elaborate on the reasons for his departure.


Several Trump aides said that Murphy has been conspicuously absent in recent days as the campaign mobilizes for the final push.

Since joining the Trump campaign in June, Murphy, a longtime party operative, has played a key role in setting up field programs in battleground states. He has emerged as a central point person between top Trump campaign officials and the Republican National Committee. Murphy also helped to oversee floor operations at the Republican National Convention in July.

The move comes at an inopportune time for the campaign, with little more than two weeks remaining until Election Day and Trump cratering in opinion polls. There are widespread concerns in Republican circles that Trump’s swing state infrastructure lags far behind Hillary Clinton’s – something that could have implications for the party up and down the ballot.

Murphy is a close ally of Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, having worked together on Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign in August.

It’s the latest departure in a campaign rife with turnover. Manafort resigned from the campaign in August, just two months after succeeding Trump’s first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who was fired. Other campaign hands, including longtime party strategist Ed Brookover, have also left.



