Donald Trump’s campaign is undergoing a major shakeup as the Republican front-runner made drastic changes to his campaign hierarchy at a senior staff meeting on Saturday. Trump gave more authority to Rick Wiley and Paul Manafort for his campaign in upcoming states. He also boosted spending to $20 million for the key contests coming up in the next two months.
The $20 million budget covers most of May, and far exceeds what the campaign has spent in any previous month on the campaign trail. The cash infusion is believed to fund an aggressive advertising push and a staff increase at his headquarters in New York and in upcoming states.
Thus far, Trump has gained momentum on the back of free media exposure and by using a small core team. But sources say Trump’s moves are alienating staff who are loyal to his original team, including campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
Lewandowski is credited with bringing Trump to the forefront of the Republican race with little spending and campaign infrastructure.
One key supporter and loyalist to Lewandowski, Stuart Jolly, submitted a letter of resignation on Monday. Jolly was reportedly unhappy with the reorganization, which would have had him reporting to Wiley. Wiley ran Scott Walker’s unsuccessful campaign. Wiley will now report to Manafort, Trump’s new hire.
Jolly’s resignation is sparking concern, as many of Trump’s field staff were hired by Jolly and remain loyal to him.
