POLITICS
Paul Manafort, installed to run Donald J. Trump’s operation after the firing of his original campaign manager, handed in his resignation on Friday, signifying the latest tumult to engulf the candidate, whose standing in the polls has steadily dropped since the Republican Party’s convention in July.
Mr. Manafort left nearly a week after aNew York Times report about problems within the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign helped precipitate a leadership shake-up. His departure reflects repeated efforts to steady a campaign that has been frequently roiled by the unpredictable behavior of its tempestuous first-time candidate.
Mr. Manafort was also dogged by reports about secretive efforts he made to help the former pro-Russian government in Ukraine, where he has worked on and off over several years. Those news reports were blotting out much of the press coverage of the candidate this week. And they contributed to Mr. Manafort becoming viewed with trepidation by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and a major force within the campaign, particularly after a number of false starts since the Republican National Convention, according to three people briefed on the matter.
“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”
Mr. Manafort, a veteran strategist who had managed Republican nominating conventions in the past, was hired by the campaign in late March, as Mr. Trump was facing a protracted delegate slog in his effort to capture the Republican nomination. When he joined the campaign, he was seen as a peer to Mr. Trump, 70, and someone whose advice Mr. Trump might heed. In fact, Mr. Manafort had pushed for the selection of Mike Pence, the Republican governor of Indiana, as Mr. Trump’s running mate.
But until this week, the role of campaign manager had remained empty since the June ouster of Corey Lewandowski, who played into Mr. Trump’s most aggressive instincts and with whom the candidate had a level of chemistry that he never forged with Mr. Manafort, according to several advisers who witnessed them interact. Mr. Trump has continued to seek out Mr. Lewandowski’s counsel since his firing.
Since the convention in Cleveland, Mr. Trump has engaged in a series of self-defeating battles, including belittling the mother of a Muslim soldier who was killed in Iraq and threatening to withhold an endorsement from House Speaker Paul D. Ryan. Aides have tried a range of efforts to reign in his impulses, including adding different travel companions.
Mr. Manafort ended up taking over the campaign two months ago after Mr. Lewandowski was fired when he became a distraction to the candidate and his children over a string of high-profile fights.
Mr. Manafort’s deputy, Rick Gates, is expected to remain on the campaign, for now, the people briefed on the matter said. Mr. Manafort’s friends said privately that he urged core staff members he brought on to remain with the campaign.
Last weekend, Mr. Trump decided toinstall Stephen K. Bannon as his chief executive officer and Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser, as the new campaign manager. That followed an emergency meeting called after the Times article on Sunday on the frequent and troubled efforts by Mr. Trump’s top advisers to curtail his pugilistic instincts.
Thomas Barrack, a financier and friend of Mr. Trump who helped bring Mr. Manafort into the campaign, expressed regret about the turn of events involving Mr. Manafort.
“I’ve known him since we were in college, he’s a first-class person, he’s an amazing individual and he has been the lead architect in trying to seamlessly put together the institutional side of this campaign,” Mr. Barrack said in an interview. “I think the architecture he put together will continue to serve the campaign well, but I’m sorry to see him go.”
After he was hired by Mr. Trump, Mr. Manafort helped quash uprisings among Republican delegates that, even if they wouldn’t imperil Mr. Trump’s ability to get the nomination, would have been an embarrassing distraction at the convention.
In an interview with Fox News, Eric Trump, the candidate’s second-oldest son, appeared to acknowledge that Mr. Manafort did not entirely leave on his own.
“My father just didn’t want to have the distraction looming over the campaign and quite frankly looming over all the issues that Hillary’s facing right now,” Eric Trump said.
Comments