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Paul Manafort resigns as chairman of Donald Trump campaign Paul Manafort resigns as chairman of Donald Trump campaign
(about 2 hours later)
Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort has resigned, in the latest convulsion to sweep a candidacy reeling from poor poll numbers and self-inflicted controversy. Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort has resigned, in the latest convulsion to sweep a candidacy reeling from poor polling numbers and self-inflicted controversy.
Within hours of Trump apologising for the “pain” he had caused with his outspoken remarks on the trail and a reshuffle that brought in a new team, Manafort announced he would be leaving the campaign entirely. With voters able to cast absentee ballots in the crucial swing state of North Carolina in just three weeks and polling sliding rapidly, the Republican nominee ousted his campaign chairman on Friday, only two months after the forced departure of campaign manager Corey Lewandoswki.
Manafort’s exit followed another unconventional move by Trump, who hours earlier had admitted that he “regretted” the pain caused by some of his intemperate remarks on this year.
“Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing,” he said, in tightly scripted remarks said to bear the hallmark of new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.
Though the apology at a rally in North Carolina did not specify precisely who he was saying sorry to, it was the first acknowledgement from the candidate that his swash-buckling style was proving self-destructive.
Related: Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigns – politics liveRelated: Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigns – politics live
The veteran political strategist has been under mounting scrutiny of his own as more details emerged of his role in advising foreign politicians, including Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovich. News of Manafort’s resignation also came as a surprise to some within the campaign, and followed a slew of denials that a shake-up was under way.
His departure clears the way for Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon to assume full control of day-to-day operations, after he was appointed chief executive alongside new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday. “I would have thought we were done with revolving chairs,” one source familiar with the campaign told the Guardian after the publication of Friday’s statement.
The resignation, which contradicts claims he would stay on earlier in the week, is the second moment Trump has exercised his famed slogan “you’re fired” – following the ousting of his original campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, in June. Another person familiar with the shake-up said that the change underlined how Manafort had never quite been able to communicate with Trump the way Lewandowski had. His departure meant Conway would be in charge of the messaging, whereas Bannon, a former banker, was there to run the business side of the campaign.
Lewandowski is now thought likely to make a comeback within the constantly shifting Trump inner circle, as he favours the same approach of “letting Trump be Trump” as Bannon is believed to. It was also pointed out that Trump had long been uncomfortable with the campaign spending heavily to buy television commercials, a step that was taken earlier this week with Trump shelling out $4m to go on the air in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. “He thinks he is being robbed,” said the source familiar with the shake-up. “Boots on the ground are worth it” but “media buys, mail and other stuff” were looked on by Trump skeptically.
A rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, was dominated, however, by a surprise change of tack for Trump, who said for the first time that he “regretted” misspeaking in the past and acknowledged his behaviour may be eclipsing the campaign’s core message.
It suggested Conway and Bannon may be attempting to use the reshuffle to draw a line under a summer of controversy and relaunch the campaign with a focus more squarely on attacking Hillary Clinton rather than defending its past behaviour.
The news of Manafort’s resignation came as a surprise to some within the campaign. “I would have thought we were done with revolving chairs,” said one source familiar with the campaign.
Another person familiar with the shakeup said Manafort had never quite been able to communicate with Trump the way Lewandowski had. His departure meant that Conway would be in charge of the messaging whereas Bannon was there to run the business side.
Manafort first joined the campaign as an unpaid adviser in March after Trump had been repeatedly outmaneuvered in the delegation selection process by rival Ted Cruz. The veteran operative, who helped Gerald Ford win the last contested convention in American history in 1976, soon used that foothold to expand his mandate. Within weeks, he had effectively replaced former campaign manager Lewandowski, who was disdained by many within the party establishment as well as the Trump family.
However, his close connections to Russia, at a time when Trump is trying to criticise Clinton for taking money from foreign donors for her family foundation, were proving a growing problem.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump’s son Eric suggested that the controversy over Manafort’s ties to Russia and a report this week that he had potentially committed a felony by evading the reporting requirements of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) led to the top operative being pushed out. “My father just didn’t want to have the distraction looming over the campaign and quite frankly looming over all the issues Hillary is facing right now,” said the younger Trump.In an interview with Fox News, Trump’s son Eric suggested that the controversy over Manafort’s ties to Russia and a report this week that he had potentially committed a felony by evading the reporting requirements of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) led to the top operative being pushed out. “My father just didn’t want to have the distraction looming over the campaign and quite frankly looming over all the issues Hillary is facing right now,” said the younger Trump.
Trump is also felt to have been increasingly surrounded by party operatives who did not share his anti-establishment brand of politics and, as polls plunged, the 67-year-old Washington consultant proved yet another lightning rod for a tempestuous campaign. The veteran political strategist has been under mounting scrutiny as more details emerged of his role in advising foreign politicians, including Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovich.
Related: How Trump's campaign chief got a strongman elected president of Ukraine His close connections to Russia, at a time when Trump is trying to criticise Clinton for taking money from foreign donors for her family foundation, were proving a growing problem.
Manafort first joined the campaign as an unpaid adviser in March after Trump had been repeatedly outmaneuvered in the delegation selection process by rival Ted Cruz. The veteran operative, who helped Gerald Ford win the last contested convention in American history in 1976, soon used that foothold to expand his mandate. Within weeks, he had effectively replaced former campaign manager Lewandowski, who was disdained by many within the party establishment as well as the Trump family.
In a statement issued on Friday, Trump suggested Manafort’s role had peaked as an adviser during the Republican national convention in Cleveland, where rival Ted Cruz had threatened to lead a revolt, but this time expressed no regret over the departure.In a statement issued on Friday, Trump suggested Manafort’s role had peaked as an adviser during the Republican national convention in Cleveland, where rival Ted Cruz had threatened to lead a revolt, but this time expressed no regret over the departure.
“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” said a statement from the Trump campaign issued on Friday morning. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” said a statement from the Trump campaign issued on Friday morning. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”
Despite Manafort’s departure from the campaign, his close aide Rick Gates has not left yet. Gates, who worked with Manafort in Ukraine and joined him on the Trump campaign in March, was still described as the one of the four leaders of the campaign by Conway earlier this week, along with Manafort and Bannon. The resignation, which contradicts claims he would stay on earlier in the week, is the second moment Trump has exercised his famed slogan “you’re fired” – following the ousting of his original campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, in June.
Manafort has been the subject in the last two weeks of multiple reports exploring his work as a lobbyist for a pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine, work that the Associated Press reported extended to stealth donations to US lobbying firms – illegal under federal law. Lewandowski is now thought likely to make a comeback within the constantly shifting Trump inner circle, as he favours the same approach of “letting Trump be Trump” as Bannon is believed to.
Trump also appears rattled by recent opinion polling which suggests he is far adrift of where he needs to be challenge Clinton in crucial swing states.
Related: How Trump's campaign chief got a strongman elected president of Ukraine
The urgent necessity to tackle this suggests expediency rather than a personality change may be the larger factor.
Amid the shake-up and the apologetic address on Thursday night, Democrats rejected the notion of a new-look Trump on Friday, ridiculing a new emphasis on unifying the country that emerged on the same day as a campaign ad attacking immigrants.
“In case you thought for a split-second Trump was genuine about feeling regret, he is back to demonizing immigrants again in his new ad today,” said Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon.