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Michael Glassner

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Michael Glassner
Michael Glassner.jpg
Basic facts
Current Campaign:Donald Trump 2020 presidential
Role:Chief strategist
Location:New York, N.Y.
Affiliation:Republican
Education:University of Kansas

Michael Glassner is the chief strategist for President Donald Trump's (R) 2020 re-election campaign. In January 2017, Trump announced that Glassner would lead a small staff for his campaign committee, based in Trump Tower.[1] Glassner is also the president of the consulting firm C&M Transcontinental and served as the deputy campaign manager for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.[2] Glassner is known for his experience in Jewish voter relations and for his time as an aide to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).

  • Glassner was a longtime aide to former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and advised former President George W. Bush's (R) 2000 presidential campaign.
  • He was a top advisor to Sarah Palin during her vice presidential campaign and served as the chief of staff of her political action committee after the election.[3]
  • He has previously worked as chief of staff to Lewis Eisenberg, chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and was a staff member at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

    • Career

    Bob Dole advisor

    Michael Glassner began his career in political work with former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan). As a student at the University of Kansas, Glassner interned with Dole.[4] Then, in 1988, Glassner was a traveling executive assistant with Dole during his first run for the presidency, and he remained Dole's advisor until 2001. In 1992, he managed Dole's successful campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate, and worked to coordinate funding for infrastructure projects when Dole was the Senate majority leader.[2] During Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, Glassner was a senior advisor and one of Dole's most trusted staff members. The New York Times reported on their relationship in August 1996, noting that Glassner "forged a surprisingly close relationship" with Dole. The paper went on to report on Glassner's duties, stating:[5]

    “ He sits in on all scheduling meetings to make sure Dole isn't overwhelmed. In a crowd, Dole constantly glances to his right, to make sure Glassner is there. (Glassner makes sure no one reaches for Dole's right arm.) At a recent television taping, it was Glassner -- and only Glassner -- whom Dole allowed to apply a final mist of hair spray. Dole staff members often ask Glassner for guidance on the best times to approach their man.[6] ”

    Lewis Eisenberg advisor

    From 1998 to 2001, while still informally advising the retired Dole, Glassner moved to New Jersey to work under Lewis Eisenberg, chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Glassner was Eisenberg's chief of staff.[7] In 2001, near the end of Glassner's time at the Port Authority, he was involved in the deal that privatized the lease of the World Trade Center to the Silverstein Group.[8] In July 2001, Glassner left the staff of the Port Authority to work for IDT Corporation, a global telecommunications company. According to ABC News, "At IDT, Glassner was chief of staff to the company's CEO, handling external communications as well as government and investor relations."[9]

    George W. Bush and Sarah Palin advisor

    In 2000, Glassner advised George W. Bush's (R) presidential campaign, as an Iowa strategist.[3] His other significant presidential campaign experience came in the 2008 election, when Glassner worked as the top advisor to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R). According to The Hill, Glassner also "helped her become a national voice for the Tea Party even after the defeat of her ticket."[10] In 2011, Glassner joined SarahPAC, Palin's political action committee, as the chief of staff, and the group hired his firm, C&M Transcontinental, for consulting.[11][12]

    American Israel Public Affairs Committee

    In 2014, Glassner joined the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a group that works to strengthen American ties to Israel. In February 2016, Glassner spoke of his work on Israel-U.S. political relations, saying, "My interest in pro-Israel politics had grown exponentially. Particularly since 9-11, which represented a real credible threat to all Americans and in particular as a Jew, I felt very strongly about the threat of radical Islam and so I became more and more involved with AIPAC."[13] At AIPAC, Glassner was the Southwest regional political director.[2]

    Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

    More on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign staff
    Staff overview
    • Trump staff overview
    Management and strategy

    •Steve Bannon, Executive chairman
    •Kellyanne Conway, Campaign manager
    •David Bossie, Deputy campaign manager
    •Michael Glassner, Deputy campaign manager
    •Jim Murphy, National political director
    •John Mashburn, Policy director

    Communications

    •Hope Hicks, Communications director
    •Jason Miller, Senior communications advisor
    •Katrina Pierson, Campaign spokesperson

    Advisors

    •Roger Stone, Informal advisor
    •Sam Clovis, Co-chair and policy advisor
    •Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Senior advisor
    •Michael Biundo, Senior advisor

    See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

    Hiring

    On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his bid for the presidency at Trump Tower in New York City.[14] Glassner joined the campaign on July 30, 2015, as the national political director.[3] In a statement, the Trump campaign noted Glassner's specific duties, saying, "Michael is responsible for developing and implementing a national political plan and will oversee strategic planning operations nationwide."[15]

    In the press, Glassner's hiring was noticed for his former work with Sarah Palin, who would go on to endorse Trump in January 2016. Sam Clovis, the Trump campaign's co-chairman, hinted that Glassner may have been one of the reasons Palin decided to give her endorsement. Clovis told CNN, "Well, I think you ought to look at who we have employed in the campaign, and I think that will give you a clear insight as to how the introduction may have occurred."[16] In an interview with Jewish Insider, Glassner said, "Mr. Trump did the persuading. I think it was helpful that she had a friend here in the campaign, somebody she knew, and I demonstrated my loyalty to her, which I think helped. But, ultimately, it was everything that he is saying about the country is in line with whatever she has been saying. I think that’s a natural alliance in my view."[13]

    Deputy campaign manager

    Glassner was promoted to deputy campaign manager on March 2, 2016.[17] In May, Politico reported that his role had further expanded to include preparation for the Republican National Convention. The site noted that Glassner was tasked with putting Trump's "mark on the party’s convention."[18]

    Comments on Muslim travel ban

    In a June 2016 piece for The Washington Post, Glassner spoke of his role in crafting Trump's campaign proposal to ban Muslim immigration to the United States. He said, "My perspective on this is very much formed by 9/11. I worked at the World Trade Center. Those people were radical Islamists, and they were trying to kill me and they killed 87 of my colleagues. ... Why wouldn’t you start by trying to identify this demographic coming into the United States and see what they’re doing? It has nothing to do with religion; I think it had everything to do with the facts of who was perpetrating these crimes." Glassner went on to say that the shootings in San Bernadino, California, when 14 people were killed in an act of terrorism, was the moment that the campaign decided to announce the ban they had been preparing. Glassner said, "The San Bernardino terrorist attack, I think, put an even brighter light on this question about who are these people, how are they getting in, who is checking them, what are their intentions?"[19]

    Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020

    In January 2017, Trump announced that he would keep his campaign committee together and that Glassner would lead the group.[1] According to Politico, the organization was set up to focus on data building and fundraising for an expected presidential campaign in 2020.[20] One of Glassner's first public appearances was at the Republican National Committee's 2017 spring meeting, where he represented the president.[21]

    In August 2017, he told Politico of the 2020 campaign's early priorities, saying, "While we maintain a small and lean operation, our mission is to support President Trump’s agenda by maintaining contact with our millions of supporters around the country, leveraging social media to overcome the filter of the biased mainstream media, and by hosting rallies around the country to help the president to stay connected to the people he proudly serves."[22]

    Media

    Michael Glassner speaking of his time as an aide to former Sen. Bob Dole in 2008

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Michael Glassner'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Michael Glassner - Google News

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 MSNBC, "After condemning ‘permanent campaign,’ Team Trump gears up for 2020," January 13, 2017
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 LinkedIn, "Michael Glassner," accessed March 6, 2016
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 CNN, "Donald Trump hires former Palin aide as political director," July 30, 2015
    4. ↑ Jewish Voice and Opinion, "New SarahPac Director Michael Glassner Is One of the Tribe," March 2011
    5. ↑ The New York Times, "Who Is This Man?" August 4, 1996
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    7. ↑ The New York Times, "PUBLIC LIVES; Clout Stops in Tunnel, and at Mayor's Office," January 19, 2001
    8. ↑ The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, "The World Trade Center - Authorization Of Net Lease And Execution Of Agreements And Related Documents," April 26, 2001
    9. ↑ ABC News, "Sarah Palin's New Right-Hand Man: Meet Michael Glassner," February 18, 2011
    10. ↑ The Hill, "Who’s who in Trump world," August 14, 2015
    11. ↑ The New York Times, "Palin Adds Glassner as Top Political Adviser," February 12, 2011
    12. ↑ The Daily Beast, "Palin’s SarahPAC Embarrassment: Consultants Are Cashing In," March 29, 2013
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jewish Journal, "From AIPAC to Trump: Michael Glassner’s journey," February 19, 2016
    14. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Enters 2016 Presidential Race," June 16, 2015
    15. ↑ Politico, "Trump hires former top Palin aide as political director," July 30, 2015
    16. ↑ CNN, "Key aide may have cemented Trump-Palin union," January 20, 2016
    17. ↑ Donald J. Trump for President, "​Donald J. Trump Continues To Expand Campaign Staff," March 2, 2016
    18. ↑ Politico, "Trump tasks aide Michael Glassner with convention planning," May 5, 2016
    19. ↑ The Washington Post, "Inside Donald Trump’s strategic decision to target Muslims," June 21, 2016
    20. ↑ Politico, "Trump laying the groundwork for 2020 reelection bid," January 10, 2017
    21. ↑ Politico, "Trump meltdown sets off GOP alarms over 2018," May 13, 2017
    22. ↑ Politico, "Trump ramping up for 2020 reelection," August 21, 2017
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