Donald Trump distanced himself from two of his top advisers on Wednesday, saying he had “no idea who else they work for”, after it was reported they spent the weekend helping a pro-Russian government in the Balkans.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote that Chris LaCivita, co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, campaign adviser and deputy White House chief of staff on leave, “are outside consultants” and “do not work for me other than as outside consultants.”
“They are allowed to work for others, like all consultants in Washington, DC,” Trump wrote. “I have no idea who else they work for, but on second thought I will ask them and, if there is a conflict, I will fire them immediately!”
The president’s comments came after The New York Times reported that LaCivita and Blair had traveled to Republika Srpska, an autonomous entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to help the government ahead of the weekend’s elections. Sources told the newspaper that each advisor was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.
LaCivita and Blair, meanwhile, are working with Maga Inc, the Trump-backed SuperPac that is helping Republican candidates in the US midterm elections in November.
Both men have a long history with Trump, and the US president congratulated them separately on social media.
LaCivita joined Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in 2022, after leading a pro-Trump Super Pac called Preserve America. In 2024, Trump wrote on Truth Social that LaCivita was “THE BEST” co-campaign manager alongside Susie Wiles, who is now White House chief of staff.
Blair worked for the 2020 Trump campaign in Florida and was the political director of the 2024 Trump campaign. He joined the president at the White House as deputy chief of staff for legislative, policy and public affairs.
In April, Trump called Blair “one of the most brilliant political minds” while announcing that Blair would briefly leave his post at the White House to join Maga Inc and help Republicans in the midterms. Trump said Blair would return to the White House after the midterm elections.
Trump’s statement distancing himself from the two advisers comes as Maga Inc prepares to step up its efforts to help Republican candidates in next month’s elections.
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Public polls indicate that Democrats are leading Republicans in several key competitive races. This is largely attributed to widespread disapproval of Trump’s handling of the economy and the cost of living.
A Maga Inc spokesperson told the New York Times that Blair and LaCivita remained engaged in their mid-course efforts while traveling, saying the two “arranged a team call with race captains Saturday morning to review recent survey data.”
The Guardian has contacted Maga Inc for comment.
Although polls show waning voter enthusiasm for Republicans, the party has a financial advantage over Democrats.
At the end of August, Maga Inc had more than $415 million in cash. Several Maga Inc-linked Super Pacs began launching multimillion-dollar advertising blitzes.
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