After he was let go as Donald Trump’s campaign manager Monday morning, Corey Lewandowski was unwilling to explain in an interview with CNN why he was fired, instead offering praise for his former boss.
CNN’s Dana Bash quizzed Lewandowski on why he left the campaign and how he could still offer praise for Trump given the circumstances.
“You’re painting a nice picture of the Trump campaign and the state of play,” Bash told Lewandowski. “If it was that great, why wouldn’t you still be the campaign manager?”
“I’m proud of the campaign. I really am. But I also understand the reality of building an infrastructure, coupled with the RNC’s 500 people on the ground and all the resources —” he responded.
“Why couldn’t you be the person to do it?” Bash jumped in to ask.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Lewandowski responded.
“I know I’ve had a great privilege and an honor of being part of this for the last 18 or 19 months, and I have no regrets, and I’m so thankful for this chance,” he added when pressed by Bash. “And I know that what I will do moving forward is share my advice of what I know with Mr. Trump and his team if they want it.”
He also noted that he will still serve as a New Hampshire delegate to the GOP national convention for Trump.
Bash noted that Lewandowski is a “good soldier” and that his loyalty to Trump helped him keep his position as campaign manager for so long.
“It’s not just loyalty,” he said in response.
The CNN host then described how odd the situation was.
“Somebody tuning in to watch this might be thinking that they’re, you know, on another planet because you’re making it seem like everything was really great. And I get that that’s your, you know, your instinct because you’ve been so loyal to him, but it just doesn’t make sense in a logical way if things were that great why you are not still at Trump Tower,” she said.
In response, Lewandowski said that Trump’s campaign is “moving in the right direction.”
“That’s the most important thing. And building out the campaign is something that’s very important to do. And I can tell you, again, I’ll give any advice I can to the campaign but at the end of the day voters are going to have to make a choice,” he said.
Watch the clip:
