Lewandowski Cheers Staff Changes: New Hires Will Help Trump Win ‘At All Costs’

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager cheered the major staff changes announced by the Republican nominee on Wednesday, saying the addition of Breitbart News’ executive chairman will help the campaign “win at all costs.”

Corey Lewandowski, who now serves as a commentator for CNN, said that bringing Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon and Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway onboard will help Trump fire back against media critiques and supercharge his attacks on Hillary Clinton.

“If you look at Stephen Bannon and what they built at Breitbart, it’s win at all costs. I think that makes some people on the left very afraid because they’re willing to say and do things that others in the mainstream media wouldn’t do,” Lewandowski said. “They’ve attacked the mainstream media on multiple occasions. I think that’s the type of mind set the campaign wants to prove to the Clinton people, that they’re going to take this fight directly to her.”

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Lewandowski, who remains a close ally of Trump’s, encouraged the staff shakeup, which also involved sidelining his replacement, Paul Manafort. Though Manafort will stay on as campaign chairman, Bannon and Conway will take a leading role in directing polling and advertising efforts.

CNN’s Chris Cuomo noted that Breitbart is known for its extreme right-wing slant and that some of the site’s writers have called his network “Hitler.”

“No concern from you about Trump doubling down on being all out, scorched Earth, attacking Clinton?” Cuomo asked.

“I think you have what is he’s building up that leadership team. He wants to have people around him who want to win at all costs,” Lewandowski replied.

“What does that mean, at all costs?” Cuomo interjected.

“I think you have with Donald Trump a person who wants to be true to himself,” Lewandowski said, calling Trump’s insistence that he did “not want to pivot” “the right thing to do when you’re running for office.”

This advice flies in the face of what prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, have urged Trump to do. As the November election draws closer, GOP leaders have called on Trump to moderate his message and reach out to a broader audience outside of his ultra-conservative white male base.

According to Lewandowski, the addition of a woman to Trump’s senior leadership team will have a “calming effect” on the temperamental candidate.

“It’s very important that Kellyanne is with him as often as possible,” he said. “Number one, it’s a woman, and he needs a high-profile woman in a senior role there that he can listen to and understand what the gender gap is there. She’s going to help with that. She’s an excellent person when it comes to message development. She’s done this for a long time. She had a very successful polling company. She also brings a sense of calmness to Donald Trump.”