From the Tuesday edition of the Morning Jolt:
There Is No New Trump, Continued
The “improved” Trump talk is all pretty moot, because you can’t change the style of a guy with the impulse control of a toddler.
He doesn’t like hearing he has to do things differently. There is no point to hiring the “best people” if you refuse to listen to the advice of the “best people.”
Let’s check in with the best people:
Donald Trump is bristling at efforts to implement a more conventional presidential campaign strategy, and has expressed misgivings about the political guru behind them, Paul Manafort, for overstepping his bounds, multiple sources close to the campaign tell POLITICO.
Trump became upset late last week when he learned from media reports that Manafort privately told Republican leaders that the billionaire reality TV star was “projecting an image” for voters and would begin toning down his rhetoric, according to the sources. They said that Trump also expressed concern about Manafort bringing several former lobbying colleagues into the campaign, as first reported by POLITICO.
Now Trump is taking steps to return some authority to Manafort’s chief internal rival, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
When you hear anecdotes like this . . .
After Trump’s resounding victory in last week’s New York primary, for instance, Manafort handed the candidate a speech he’d written for him that aimed for a more presidential tone, according to two campaign sources. Trump took a quick look at it and told Manafort he’d consider using such a speech down the road, but in the glow of his huge win in his home state, he preferred to wing it.
. . . how long does Manafort stick around? How often does a candidate brag about ignoring his advisers’ recommendations during a speech?
“If I acted presidential, I can guarantee you this morning I wouldn’t be here,” Trump told a capacity crowd of more than 3,000 at Crosby High School, where others stood outside, listening to audio provided for the unlucky.
The gym rocked.
“My wife tells me, ‘Be more presidential.’ My daughter tells me to be more presidential. And Paul Manafort and Corey [Lewandowski, another top aide] and a lot of them say, ‘Be more presidential,’ ” Trump said. “And now people are starting to say, ‘You know, look what got you here.”