In need of help, Trump finds few willing to work for him
From Texas to New Hampshire, well-respected members of the Republican Party's professional class say they can't look past their deep personal and professional reservations about the presumptive presidential nominee.
There are exceptions, but many operatives who best understand the mechanics of presidential politics fear that taking a Trump paycheck might stain their resumes, spook other clients and even cause problems at home.
"Right now I feel no obligation to lift a finger to help Donald Trump," said Brent Swander, an Ohio-based operative who has coordinated nationwide logistics for Republican presidential campaigns dating back to George W. Bush.
Everything that we're taught as children — not to bully, not to demean, to treat others with respect — everything we're taught as children is the exact opposite of what the Republican nominee is doing.
Trump leapt into presidential politics with a small group of aides, some drafted directly from his real estate business, with no experience running a White House campaign.
An unquestioned success in the GOP primaries, they have struggled to respond to the increased demands of a general election as Trump emerged as the party's presumptive nominee.
Chris Wilson, a senior aide to Ted Cruz, said the Texas senator's entire paid staff of more than 150 ignored encouragement from Trump's team to apply for positions after he dropped out of the presidential race.
Campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the campaign's hiring, but former adviser Barry Bennett downplayed any staffing challenging, suggesting the campaign should be able to double its staff by the party's national convention next month.