Tim Clark, the director of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the California primary, has not spoken to the candidate in the two weeks since he has been hired, according to the UK Guardian. Clark will only speak with Trump Thursday evening.
“I haven’t talked to him … There’s been, you know, email traffic and things like that,” Clark said, when pressed by reporter Paul Lewis. Lewis also reports that Clark was not the Trump campaign’s first choice for the post in the decisive primary race.
Former Trump field director Stuart Jolly told the Guardian that Clark had already been ruled out for the role as “unqualified” — though others, including California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte, differs, saying Clark was “absolutely” qualified.
According to Lewis, the Trump campaign considered two other options: Republican operative Jimmy Camp, and former Arnold Schwarzenegger statewide director Kathy Tavoularis. Camp declined the job because of his opposition to Trump, and Tavoularis was passed over by Trump’s convention director, Paul Manafort, who ostensibly wanted “his people” in California.
Clark, who spoke exclusively with Breitbart News earlier in April to announce that the Trump campaign already had a list of “about a thousand” potential delegates in California, is reportedly taking the controversy in stride and making campaign plans.
He is setting up the campaign’s state headquarters in Sacramento, which allows the campaign to strike deep into territory otherwise held by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). In addition, he will be opening offices in five other regions thoughtout the state.
The campaign is expected to be hardest-fought in Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire suburbs, where Cruz had been polling well until recently, and where Republicans have been competitive in recent state and congressional races.
Trump will address a rally in Orange County Thursday evening, and the California Republican Party convention on Friday in Burlingame.