Trump has brought in Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News, a provocative businessman from a conservative media outlet that has delighted in bashing the GOP establishment.
Advertisement
The move comes just 82 days before the election and represents yet another shake-up for the tumultuous campaign. He says, “They’re terrific people, they’re winners, they’rechamps, and we need to win it”.
The campaign shakeup, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes as polls show Trump trailing Clinton nationally and in key battleground states following a hard campaign stretch that saw him insulting the Muslim parents of a U.S. Army soldier who died in Iraq and temporarily refraining from endorsing House Speaker Paul Ryan in his primary race. Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, who has come under fire recently over questions about his role in a corruption scandal in Ukraine, will maintain his role. “I believe we’re adding some of the best talents in politics, with the experience and expertise needed to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and continue to share my message and vision to Make America Great Again”.
Bannon’s ascension solidifies an informal, mutually beneficial relationship between Breitbart, which has unapologetically championed Trump, and the campaign. Conway, who worked on Newt Gingrich’s 2012 campaign and has long counted Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, as a client, had thoughts on how Trump could reach out to more women and suburban voters.
Mr. Bannon, once recognized by Bloomberg Politics as the “most risky political operative in America”, will oversee the campaign staff and operations in addition to strategic oversight of major campaign initiatives in addition to working with Mr. Manafort.
The Washington Post cited Trump campaign aides as saying Mr Trump respected Mr Manafort but felt “boxed in” by people “who barely knew him”.
Those close to the campaign had described two opposing camps behind the scenes aligned to Manafort and Lewandowski. But some cautioned that such chatter was predictable and inevitable when any campaign faces tough times.
Bannon’s appointment suggested that Trump is aiming not so much to tone down his aggressive style but to be more disciplined in emphasizing themes that resonate strongly with the voters he is trying to court, such as his stances on immigration and criticism of Clinton.
Trump’s campaign advisers have sought to refocus him, including through a pair of scripted policy speeches on the economy and terrorism that offered a stark contrast to Trump’s freewheeling style.
Details of the new pecking order were hashed out at a lengthy senior staff meeting at Trump Tower on Tuesday while Mr Trump was on the road.
“I am who I am”.
“I want to win”, Trump told the Journal. I don’t see Breitbart News pivoting away from their current trajectory in Bannon’s absence however. You have to be you.
It’s worth recalling that Trump went into a full-blown tantrum against the Times this past weekend and called the paper’s reporters “the most dishonest people” he’d ever encountered. He said there would be no charges against her, a decision sharply criticized by many Republican lawmakers.
Lewandowski is not being brought back onto the campaign as part of the overhaul.
The three Republicans requested anonymity due to sensitivity of the campaign shake-up and their relationships with Trump, Bannon and Conway.
Advertisement
The source noted that Lewandowski had issued a similar campaign memo when Manafort was hired in a volunteer capacity with the campaign.
