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Trump Campaign Chief Stuns RNC, Says Trump Just ‘Playing A Part’ For Crowds

By Jayce Wagner
Published on: 01:43 PST, Apr 22, 2016

Donald Trump’s chief campaign strategist told the RNC that Trump is “playing a part” for the media, and that “he can change” for the general election. Who is the real Trump, and can supporters trust a candidate who is admittedly “playing a part” for the media?

“He gets it. The part he’s been playing is now evolving into the part that you’ve been expecting. The negatives will come down, the image is going to change, but ‘Crooked Hillary’ is still going to be ‘Crooked Hillary,'” said Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s chief campaign strategist, speaking to RNC members behind closed doors, according to the Washington Post.

Trump strategist Paul Manafort admitted behind closed doors today that Donald Trump’s bombastic persona and frequently controversial statements and policy positions aren’t the real Trump — they’re just part of a role he plays for the media and, presumably, for supporters. Don’t worry, Manafort told the RNC, Trump gets it.

“When he’s out on the stage when he’s talking about the kinds of things he’s talking about on the stump, he’s projecting an image that’s for a purpose. You’ll start to see more depth of the person, the real person. You’ll see a real different guy,” said chief Trump strategist Paul Manafort today, alleging that Donald Trump will evolve as the race goes on.

The secret Trump strategy meeting with the RNC today allowed Manafort to reassure members of the RNC who might be wary of Donald Trump’s loose-cannon style, which has rubbed some members of the Republican establishment the wrong way. Manafort stressed that Trump will become more presidential as the campaign wears on, shifting his persona in a way that more closely reflects what the RNC expects from a presidential candidate.

“Fixing personality negatives is a lot easier than fixing character negatives. You can’t change somebody’s character, but you can change the way a person presents himself,” Trump’s strategist told RNC members today.

Still, critics have already shot back at the Trump campaign for Manafort’s statements, suggesting that Trump’s personality is what has won him such broad support. The Republican front-runner frequently presents himself as a straight shooter who is above Washington politics.

Trump has won broad support among the Republican base as a result of his bare-faced honesty and frequently brazen persona. If the Donald Trump voters have come to know and support isn’t the Donald Trump who will run in the general election, can voters still trust him? According to Mediaite, Ted Cruz has already seized on the opportunity, criticizing Donald Trump on Mark Levin’s radio show this evening.

Chief Trump strategist Paul Manafort reiterated for the RNC that the Donald Trump out on the campaign trail is playing himself up for the crowds, and he’ll change, Manafort says, as the general election draws nearer. Manafort told the RNC that Donald Trump ultimately wants to unify the Republican Party, not divide it. RNC members reportedly expressed concern over Trump’s repeated assertions that the RNC hasn’t treated him fairly and that the Republican race is rigged by the Republican establishment, a charge that the RNC has continued to flatly deny and repudiate at every opportunity.

“Is Donald Trump running against the Republican National Committee? The answer is he is not,” Manafort told the RNC.

Manafort went on to assuage fears that Donald Trump wouldn’t work with the so-called Republican establishment.

“He gave us the mandate to bring together a team of professionals that could finish the job for him, but could also then begin to link in with the establishment institutions that are part of our party, what you represent, what the state parties represent,” Paul Manafort countered.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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