It was a visit that drew a contrast with President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who have yet to visit in the wake of flooding that dropped a devastating 2 feet of rain on a part of the state hit hard by Hurricane Katrina over a decade ago.
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The tone was a shift from the night earlier, when Trump expressed rare regret for some of his more caustic comments although he did not say which comments.
But Trump “was not a candidate that could be corralled”, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said on MSNBC television. He also shook up his campaign in recent days, tapping a combative conservative media executive, Stephen Bannon, to serve as CEO of the campaign.
Trump and running mate Mike Pence drove past piles of ripped-up carpet, furniture and personal belongings discarded on curbs following flooding that’s killed 13 people and displaced thousands.
“Paul Manafort’s resignation is a clear admission that the disturbing connections between Donald Trump’s team and pro-Kremlin elements in Russian Federation and Ukraine are untenable”, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.
The departure also comes as Manafort is defending himself from investigations into his extensive lobbying history overseas, particularly in the Ukraine, where he represented pro-Russian interests.
“We knew you would be here for us!” another volunteer shouted.
The departure of Paul Manafort came as Trump tried this week to reset his unorthodox bid for the White House after falling behind Clinton in opinion polls for the November 8 election.
Now with new campaign team leadership in place, one senior aide said it was “writing on the wall” that Manafort would leave.
Trump, who has been accused of offending Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants, the disabled and fellow Republicans such as John McCain during his 14-month presidential campaign did not specify which comments he regretted and said at one point that journalists have often taken him “out of context”.
“Sometimes, in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing”, Trump told backers in Charlotte, N.C.
Most polls show Trump trailing Clinton significantly among black voters. Earlier on Thursday, Trump moved to invest almost $5 million in battleground state advertising to address daunting challenges in the states that will make or break his White House ambitions.
He attacked Clinton for her position on trade agreements, telling the MI crowd that the Democrat would send auto jobs to Mexico.
On Friday, he also began airing his first television advertisement since becoming the Republican candidate, buying airtime in the crucial states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida, where Clinton has already spent of millions in television advertising.
A huge shakeup in the race for the White House today. But Louisiana’s Democratic governor defended the decision, saying he’d prefer Obama hold off because of the burden that a presidential visit places on police and first responders who are focused on responding to the flooding.
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Manafort had essentially taken control of Trump’s campaign in June, after a power struggle that led to the ouster of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
