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Donald Trump appoints Breitbart chief and demotes Paul Manafort | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Donald Trump has appointed Stephen Bannon from the rightwing website Breitbart News as CEO of his campaign team, effectively demoting Paul Manafort, as the Republican nominee attempts to gain ground on Hillary Clinton in the US presidential race. | |
Bannon is a former investment banker and the executive chairman of Breitbart News, which has shown full-throated support for Trump and was described by its former editor-at-large on his departure as “Trump’s personal Pravda”. | |
Meanwhile, pollster Kellyanne Conway has been promoted to campaign manager, in what represents yet another overhaul of Trump’s organisation in his quest for the White House. | |
Related: The dark history of Donald Trump's rightwing revolt | Timothy Shenk | Related: The dark history of Donald Trump's rightwing revolt | Timothy Shenk |
Manafort retains his title of campaign chairman but the shakeup represents a demotion for the lobbyist and political consultant who only formally took over the reins in June following the departure of Corey Lewandowski. | |
Trump told Associated Press that he had appointed Bannon and Conway because they were “big people” who would help him defeat Clinton. | |
“I’ve known both of them for a long time. They’re terrific people, they’re winners, they’re champs, and we need to win it,” said the billionaire real estate mogul. | |
The changes, made just 82 days before the November election, give little indication that Trump is seeking to broaden his appeal and steer clear of controversy. | |
In March, Breitbart News editor-at large Ben Shapiro launched a scathing attack on Bannon as he and reporter Michelle Fields resigned from the outlet following an alleged assault on the latter by Lewandowski. | |
Trump’s then campaign manager allegedly grabbed Fields by the arm and pulled her away from Trump when she tried to ask him a question at a press conference, leaving her with bruises. | |
Trump accused her of making up the allegations and Breitbart published a long post in which it said “it is unclear that contact has been made” on Fields in video clips of the incident. | |
As a result, Shapiro accused Bannon of having betrayed the legacy of the late Breitbart founder, Andrew Breitbart. “In my opinion, Steve Bannon … has sold out Andrew’s mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda,” he said. | |
Related: How Trump's campaign chief got a strongman elected president of Ukraine | Related: How Trump's campaign chief got a strongman elected president of Ukraine |
Breitbart News was an early embracer of partisan online journalism and its devoted followers laud it as exposing what they see as leftwing media bias. But to others it is representative of mean-spirited journalism that revels in personal attacks. | |
Conway called the changes to the team “an expansion at a critical time in the home stretch”. | |
Additional senior hires are expected in the next few days and there have been multiple reports – denied by Trump – that disgraced Fox News creator Roger Ailes has been brought in to help him face Clinton on the debate stage next month. | |
Ailes resigned last month from the network he co-founded and ran for 20 years, following allegations that he sexually harassed numerous subordinates, including former host Gretchen Carlson and star anchor Megyn Kelly. | |
Polls have shown Clinton building a lead following the Philadelphia convention, both nationally and in a host of key battleground states. | |
Trump’s campaign announced on Tuesday that it would finally begin airing its first adverts of the general election next week in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. |