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| Donald Trump fires campaign manager Corey Lewandowski | Donald Trump fires campaign manager Corey Lewandowski |
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| Donald Trump has parted ways with his controversial campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. | Donald Trump has parted ways with his controversial campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. |
| Hope Hicks, the campaign’s spokeswoman, said in a statement on Monday: “The Donald J Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign.” | Hope Hicks, the campaign’s spokeswoman, said in a statement on Monday: “The Donald J Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign.” |
| She added: “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.” | She added: “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.” |
| The news came as a surprise to Lewandowski when Trump informed him this morning in Trump Tower, a source told the Guardian. | The news came as a surprise to Lewandowski when Trump informed him this morning in Trump Tower, a source told the Guardian. |
| Related: Corey Lewandowski dropped as Trump's campaign manager – live | Related: Corey Lewandowski dropped as Trump's campaign manager – live |
| Lewandowski’s departure comes as Trump’s campaign is increasingly struggling in its attempt to pivot towards the general election. Since becoming the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee in early May, Trump has collapsed in the polls and faced increasing questions about his campaign organization. | |
| Trump has made a series of controversial remarks including stating that the Mexican heritage of Gustavo Curiel, a federal judge hearing a lawsuit against the presumptive nominee, meant that Curiel was biased, and doubled down on his calls for a Muslim ban in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Orlando. Trump even suggested that the American Muslim community knew in advance about terrorist attacks and did not say anything. | |
| The result is that even many Republican lawmakers who have endorsed Trump have distanced themselves from their party’s standard bearer. John Cornyn, the number two Republican in the US Senate, said he will not discuss Trump until after the election and House Speaker Paul Ryan, the party’s most senior elected official, has refused to condemn those plotting a convention coup against the presumptive nominee. | |
| Lewandowski, who rose to power last year after beating out veteran strategist Roger Stone to be Trump’s top aide, seemingly lost in his own power struggle with chief strategist Paul Manafort, the man brought in by Trump several months ago. Lewandowski and Manafort struggled for control of the campaign for months, but had apparently reached equilibrium in recent weeks. But that status quo has seemingly not survived Trump’s recent political woes. | Lewandowski, who rose to power last year after beating out veteran strategist Roger Stone to be Trump’s top aide, seemingly lost in his own power struggle with chief strategist Paul Manafort, the man brought in by Trump several months ago. Lewandowski and Manafort struggled for control of the campaign for months, but had apparently reached equilibrium in recent weeks. But that status quo has seemingly not survived Trump’s recent political woes. |
| One campaign source suggested that the final straw for Lewandowski was “some conflict between him and Hope Hicks that Ivanka [Trump] didn’t like”. Lewandowski and Hicks reportedly engaged in a public screaming match in midtown Manhattan last month. The two had long been considered close and constantly accompanied Trump on the campaign trail. | One campaign source suggested that the final straw for Lewandowski was “some conflict between him and Hope Hicks that Ivanka [Trump] didn’t like”. Lewandowski and Hicks reportedly engaged in a public screaming match in midtown Manhattan last month. The two had long been considered close and constantly accompanied Trump on the campaign trail. |
| One source familiar with the campaign said Lewandowski had been clashing with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in recent weeks and was even trying to plant negative stories about Kushner. | One source familiar with the campaign said Lewandowski had been clashing with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in recent weeks and was even trying to plant negative stories about Kushner. |
| The existing strains showed when Michael Caputo, a high-ranking Trump staffer who had long been critical of Lewandowski, tweeted: “Ding dong the witch is dead.” | The existing strains showed when Michael Caputo, a high-ranking Trump staffer who had long been critical of Lewandowski, tweeted: “Ding dong the witch is dead.” |
| The news came as a surprise to many in the Trump campaign. One high-ranking source told the Guardian on Monday: “I have no idea what’s going on.” Others in the campaign told the Guardian that the news had not been shared internally, and, instead, they were learning of the shakeup through the media. | The news came as a surprise to many in the Trump campaign. One high-ranking source told the Guardian on Monday: “I have no idea what’s going on.” Others in the campaign told the Guardian that the news had not been shared internally, and, instead, they were learning of the shakeup through the media. |
| Lewandowski did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. In a statement to the AP, he said: “Paul Manafort has been in operational control of the campaign since April 7. That’s a fact.” | |
| A veteran of over 40 years in Republican politics, the 67-year-old Manafort is a longtime lobbyist who represented controversial foreign clients like ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos. | |
| He is a former business partner of longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone, who left the campaign last year after repeatedly clashing with Lewandowski. Manafort, who is not being paid by Trump, was brought on in March to help with delegate selection and quickly expanded his portfolio to rival Lewandowski as the most powerful figure on the campaign. | He is a former business partner of longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone, who left the campaign last year after repeatedly clashing with Lewandowski. Manafort, who is not being paid by Trump, was brought on in March to help with delegate selection and quickly expanded his portfolio to rival Lewandowski as the most powerful figure on the campaign. |
| Lewandowski, who is also the chair of New Hampshire’s delegation to the RNC and pledged to vote for Trump in Cleveland, was long known as a rough-edged political operative. The Lowell, Massachusetts, native made no secret of his disdain for the Republican establishment and accompanied Trump everywhere. He has even served as a bodyguard at times, wading into crowds to grab protesters and even faced misdemeanor criminal charges for manhandling a reporter, although prosecutors declined to press charges. | Lewandowski, who is also the chair of New Hampshire’s delegation to the RNC and pledged to vote for Trump in Cleveland, was long known as a rough-edged political operative. The Lowell, Massachusetts, native made no secret of his disdain for the Republican establishment and accompanied Trump everywhere. He has even served as a bodyguard at times, wading into crowds to grab protesters and even faced misdemeanor criminal charges for manhandling a reporter, although prosecutors declined to press charges. |
| However, Lewandowski’s unconventional vision for his candidate, “letting Trump be Trump”, helped the New York real estate developer win an unlikely victory in the Republican presidential primaries beating more than a dozen other candidates. Despite a lack of traditional campaign organization, Trump, using a mix of big rallies and constant appearances on cable news, defeated what had been described as the strongest field in Republican history. | However, Lewandowski’s unconventional vision for his candidate, “letting Trump be Trump”, helped the New York real estate developer win an unlikely victory in the Republican presidential primaries beating more than a dozen other candidates. Despite a lack of traditional campaign organization, Trump, using a mix of big rallies and constant appearances on cable news, defeated what had been described as the strongest field in Republican history. |