Trump campaign hires GOP strategist Trump called 'the worst in political history'

Karl Rove, the former adviser to George W. Bush and one of the so-called architects of the Iraq War, is joining Donald Trump’s reelection campaign as an adviser, Business Insider reported on Thursday.

The move is noteworthy: Trump has long feuded with Rove, blaming the Bush adviser for Barack Obama’s election and calling Rove an “embarrassment” and “useless.”

Trump’s attacks on Rove began in 2011, when Obama was running for reelection.

“Karl Rove — lost GOP both Houses of Congress and the White House —gave us Obama,” Trump tweeted in August of 2018.

In December 2012, after Obama won reelection, Trump retweeted a Breitbart News story that featured him saying Republicans needed to “dump” Rove.

The attacks on Rove continued, with Trump bashing ads a super PAC affiliated with Rove ran against actress Ashley Judd, who at the time was mulling a run for the Senate against Mitch McConnell.

“Karl Rove is a total loser. Money given to him might as well be thrown down the drain,” Trump tweeted in February 2013.

“Karl Rove’s ads are the worst in political history!” he tweeted a few weeks later.

In a tweet six months after that, Trump said, “It’s Tuesday. How many terrible predictions and advice will Karl 1.6% Rove make today?”

Trump’s attacks on the adviser escalated in 2015 when he was running for president. Rove, a longtime friend and ally of the Bush family, did not support Trump’s candidacy.

“Why does @oreillyfactor and @FoxNews always have Karl Rove on. He spent $430 million and lost ALL races. A dope who said Romney won election,” Trump tweeted in September 2015.

Business Insider reported that Rove has been in communication with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale since the GOP’s drubbing in the 2018 midterm elections.

The outlet’s Tom LoBianco noted that Rove will be helping the Trump campaign focus on swing states and GOP voter outreach. LoBianco said Rove’s job has been kept under wraps because of Trump’s poor relationship with the Bush family.

That feud bubbled up again earlier this month when Bush made a statement about putting partisanship aside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Insider says the relationship between Trump and Rove is about “political convenience”: “While many establishment members of the GOP dislike Trump’s demeanor and affinity for scandals, Rove and others view the president in the same light as they did in 2016 as a far better alternative to a Democrat in the White House.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.