Trump Doubles Down on Staff Shake-Up

By Lorin McLain

The hope of a “different” Donald Trump materializing in the remainder of the 2016 campaign appears as dim ever. The chances of the billionaire candidate toning down his off-the-cuff speaking strategy and doing what insiders have implored him to do, or, “stay on message,” is more than highly unlikely in the latest campaign shakeup. The second Trump 2016 staff shuffle in two months nudges longtime political operative Paul Manafort to the sideline and puts the campaign coach’s cap on ex-Breibart news head, Stephen Bannon.

Bannon has zero experience running any kind of campaign, but he is known (and feared) as stirring up a vicious nationalistic agenda and unleashing relentless criticism against the Republican establishment – which is exactly what Trump wants. Enough of teleprompters. Enough with depending on party support. Trump has repeatedly prided himself in a strategy on doubling down, and now he has the perfect partner for execution. Brietbart, in the past few months, has reliably been the most pro-Trump media outlet, going as far as to sell “Breitbart Border Wall Construction Co” tee shirts on its website. It’s a reliable news source for the “lock her up” crowd, regularly running stories like “The Secret Sex Abuse Victims of Bill Clinton.” An article published this week in the “Daily Wire” quotes former Brietbart editor Ben Shapiro describing Bannon as “a vindictive, nasty figure, infamous for verbally abusing supposed friends and threatening enemies.”

Further eschewing common sense strategy to woo new voters, former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes now sits among the top-command of his advisers. Ailes was reportedly brought on board to help coach Trump for the presidential debates. He has plenty of time on his hands after being forced out of Fox for a slew of sexual harassment charges – not the best choice for winning over women voters.

Rounding out the new recruits is conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway. Conway headed up a pro-Ted Cruz super PAC during the primaries that ran ads against Trump, then rebranded as Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC. “New York” reports she’s previously been hired to help Republican candidates rework their message to gain women voters.

Rounding out the new recruits is conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway. Conway headed up a pro-Ted Cruz super PAC during the primaries that ran ads against Trump, then rebranded as Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC. “New York” reports she’s previously been hired to help Republican candidates rework their message to gain women voters.