Lewandowski says Caputo is, “not a senior adviser”, and that “I really don’t know what he does for the campaign”. He also praised Ivanka as “a great asset to the campaign” and said he had always had a “great relationship with the family”.
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Corey Lewandowski said Monday he was sacked from the Trump campaign.
I’ve been backing Donald Trump for years – from managing his exploration of the 2014 New York governor’s race, to directing the victorious New York State primary campaign, to building a team of 15 Trump communications professionals – including a strong unit of combat veterans – in Cleveland.
The campaign relied on news coverage of Trump’s controversial statements, his followers and his celebrity to win.
Trump eventually won enough delegates to become the presumptive GOP nominee. Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner didn’t want to lose Manafort, believing him to be the more experienced hand to guide the campaign into the general election.
Bash pressed on, asking if Trump called Lewandowski earlier on Monday morning and offered his trademark “You’re fired” catchphrase from his days as host of NBC’s “The Apprentice”.
The campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lewandowski reportedly didn’t like the shift in campaign strategy from a bare-bones style to a more involved traditional campaign style.
CNN later reported Caputo had resigned Monday in a letter to campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Rick Gates expressing his regret over posting the tweet.
But as CNN’s Stephen Collinson said, the problems have more to do with Trump than Lewandowski.
Campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks announced Lewandowski’s departure: “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future”.
He said of Trump, “You’ve got a person who has completely changed the way that politics is viewed in this country for the better”.
“I had a nice conversation with Mr. Trump and I said to him, ‘It’s been an honor and a privilege to be part of this”.
In the almost 30-minute interview with Bash, the sharp-elbowed operative heaped praise on those – including Trump’s children and campaign chairman Paul Manafort – who urged Trump to fire him, according to multiple sources. “There’s been some concern over the past couple weeks” about whether Trump had the right campaign personnel in place and enough people in key states.
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Trump is said to have made the decision because of problems in the campaign that have left the campaign floundering, unprepared to move smoothly into a national, general election. Trump has not aired any paid advertisements since becoming the presumptive nominee, preferring to spread his message through his Twitter account and in media interviews.
