Shortly after giving Paul Manafort the reigns, Trump is shifting more power back to Lewandowski, rejecting the political guru’s push to make the Republican front-runner more “presidential.” Sources close to the Trump campaign say the candidate has expressed misgivings and believes Manafort overstepped his bounds.
Last week, Manafort reportedly held a private meeting with Republican leaders to reassure them that Trump was projecting an image for voters and will “tone down his rhetoric.” The statement angered Trump, who also expressed his discontent with Manafort bringing former lobbying colleagues to his campaign.
In response to his remarks and actions, Trump has returned some authority back to campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
During a Sunday interview with Fox News, Manafort blamed Lewandowski for the campaign’s shortcomings. Supporters of Lewandowski claim Manafort has been spending an excessive amount of time on TV in an effort to resurrect his career. Trump has been avoiding Sunday morning talk shows on the advice of Manafort.
Tension in Trump’s campaign comes at a time when the candidate is attempting to blend traditional political tactics with his cult-of-personality tactic that paved the way for him to take the lead in the race for the GOP nomination.
Sources close to Trump’s campaign said the candidate won’t be changed. “If you try to force him into a box, he’s going to climb out of the box just to prove it to you,” said a source close to the campaign.
