Donald Trump’s National Field Director Submits Resignation — Seen As Blow To Lewandowski
Even while Donald Trump prepares to cruise to a New York primary victory tonight, there is still turmoil on his campaign team as a top aide just submitted his letter of resignation in a staff shakeup, The New York Times reports.
Stuart Jolly, described by the Times as “a retired Army lieutenant colonel,” and a loyalist to embattled campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, was the Trump campaign’s national field director.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to serve you and your campaign over the past 7 months. The journey has been extraordinary and many experiences on this journey will never be forgotten.”
When asked about this on Fox News Sunday by Chris Wallace, Lewandowski downplayed any controversy, saying it was “part of the maturation of any campaign.” He added that he was “glad” Manafort was on board the Trump campaign.
Lewandowski quickly moved on from his apparent demotion to discuss the addition of Rick Wiley, another person to Trump’s campaign team, and appeared to take credit for it. However, The Times reported that it was Manafort, not Lewandowski, who had hired Wiley, and that under the restructured Trump campaign, Jolly was now “beneath Mr. Wiley in the chain of command.”
https://youtu.be/qj-O43e3tL8?t=13m14s
Resignation Comes In the Midst of Lost Delegate Opportunities for Trump
Despite the upbeat tone of Jolly’s letter, which highlighted Donald Trump’s early campaign victories in New Hampsphire, South Carolina, and Nevada, the move also comes on the heels of lost opportunities in states like Colorado, North Dakota, and Wyoming. These states hold state party conventions rather than actual primaries — a process that began in the Republican Party in 1860.
Trump has railed about these conventions, where Cruz has made steady gains in the delegate count, calling them “voter-less primaries.” In a phone conversation with Fox And Friends, Trump complained that “the system is rigged” against outsider candidates like himself.
Trump’s constant complaining about the “corrupt” prompted Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, to send a tweet that called upon Trump — though he was not mentioned by name — to, “Give us all a break.”
Nomination process known for a year + beyond. It's the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) April 13, 2016
But while Donald Trump has continued complaining in interviews and at campaign stops, Jolly’s resignation shows that Trump has been restructuring his campaign behind the scenes to be more active in pursuing delegates.
At the Trump campaign meeting Monday night, The Times reported that Manaford “laid out a plan for the coming weeks, one with tighter messaging and a broadened communications staff,” while Lewandowski’s deputy, Michael Glassner, “gave what was described as a defense of the work that had come before the new arrivals, pointing out that the old team had won more than 20 states.”
Jolly’s resignation letter to Trump seems to indicate the direction that Donald Trump has chosen as a result of the meeting.
Trump currently leads Cruz in the delegate count, 756 to 559, as tabulated by Real Clear Politics. Florida senator Marco Rubio, who dropped out of the race after losing to Trump in the Florida primary last month, has 171, while Ohio governor John Kasich has 144. There are 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican Party nomination prior to the July convention in Cleveland. If Trump cannot get there before then, there will likely be a contested convention.
Trump is widely expected to win the New York primary, which is his home state, and most (if not all) of the 95 delegates up for grabs.
Trump casts his vote at Central Synagogue in NYC.
Follow our full #PrimaryDay coverage here: https://t.co/IyJfbtuFjnhttps://t.co/INpevFTLaZ— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 19, 2016
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
