Meanwhile, Kellyanne Conway, a pollster, has been promoted to campaign manager for Trump and his running mate, IN governor Mike Pence. A Trump campaign spokesman for North Carolina declined comment.
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If Trump is the nominee, he would present a stark contrast on abortion to pro-abortion Democrat Hillary Clinton. When I suggested that Trump would not win the Iowa Caucus, that he wasn’t organized well enough in Iowa to win, Bannon was skeptical.
Trump, whose campaign is built on his persona as a victor, said several times Wednesday that the campaign was “doing well”, and said his speech hours earlier in Wisconsin Tuesday was well-received.
Conway and Bannon are Trump’s third leadership team since he launched his presidential bid. While he is on the campaign he is stepping down, temporarily, as the executive editor of Breitbart News.
Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of the influential Breitbart News site, will serve as the campaign’s chief executive. “Also, I would tell him to stick to the issues because this campaign will be won on the issues and the issues that very much favors Donald Trump”.
Bannon takes the reigns from Manafort and is presented with a large challenge: turning around a campaign that is largely floundering and well behind in the polls.
Manafort drew unwelcome attention to the campaign this week when The New York Times reported that Manafort’s name was on secret ledgers showing cash payments designated to him of more than $12 million from a Ukrainian political party with close ties to Russian Federation.
A close associate of Manafort’s told The Washington Post that Manafort was leaving the campaign on good terms and would remain a close ally and outside confidant.
Whether intentional or not, taking power and attention away from Manafort is a smart move for Trump at this time.
And if there’s anything that could symbolize that resolve, it’s his decision to bring the head of Breitbart News on board as campaign CEO.
Trump’s denigration of the family of a fallen Muslim-American soldier was seen by many as a monumental campaign misstep and a turning point in the contentious 2016 presidential race.
He said Bannon and Conway “will undoubtedly help take the campaign to new levels of success”. He also put $13.5 million into a super PAC Conway ran during the Republican primary in support of Texas Sen. Trump has largely resisted those pleas and the latest staff changes seemed to guarantee he’ll continue to maintain that posture.
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“I have known Steve and Kellyanne both for many years”, Trump said in a statement. “They are extremely capable, highly qualified people who love to win and know how to win”, said Trump said in a released statement.
