Republican Donald Trump announced a shakeup of his campaign leadership Wednesday, the latest sign of tumult in his bid for the White House as his poll numbers slip and only 82 days remain before the election.
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In keeping with Mr. Trump’s expressed desire to be himself-as he put it Tuesday in a Wisconsin TV interview, “I am who I am…”
Trump’s campaign underwent a major shake-up, it was reported Wednesday, bumping up senior adviser and pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager and hiring Steve Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News and a former investment banker.
Trump says his campaign chair, Paul Manafort, will maintain his current role. The firms lists as clients a who’s who of the conservative and tea party world, including Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
The shake-up comes at a crucial time for the Trump, who is behind Democratic rival Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonTrump adviser on Trump losing: ‘Says who?’ The best choice to keep us safe from terrorism at home is Clinton Billionaire father and daughter linked to Trump shake-up MORE nationally and in several battleground states.
The moves are aimed in part at marginalizing campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a longtime Republican operative who pushed Trump to moderate his tone and improve relations with skeptical Republican officials. “And it sent a signal, perhaps more clearly than ever, that the real-estate magnate intends to finish this race on his own terms, with friends who share his instincts at his side”. She also is adept at the kinds of data-driven voter-targeting and analytics that the Trump campaign has eschewed.
Trump has resisted pleas from fellow Republicans to overhaul the flame-throwing approach on the campaign trail that powered his surge to the top of the Republican field in the primary season. “It’s me. I don’t want to change. If you start pivoting, you’re not being honest with people”.
Details of the new pecking order were hashed out at a lengthy senior staff meeting at Trump Tower Tuesday while the candidate was on the road. Additional senior hires are expected soon.
Taken together, the men are conservative media experts and masters of the political dark arts – meaning they can help Trump with campaign strategy and with a post-election media plan if he loses.
“We’re going to be doing something very dramatic”, Trump added.
“I am committed to doing whatever it takes to win this election, and ultimately become President because our country can not afford four more years of the failed Obama-Clinton policies which have endangered our financial and physical security”, Trump said in the announcement.
Clinton said at a voter registration event at a Philadelphia high school that she’s “not taking anybody anywhere for granted” in the race for the White House.
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New campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was first hired and now promoted to help fix an issue she diagnosed long ago and continues to dog Donald Trump – the nominee’s woman problem. When his ties to the Kremlin came under scrutiny, he absurdly claimed that Hillary was the one who was too close to Putin.
