Donald Trump has parted ways with his campaign manager and confidant Corey Lewandowski after months of upheaval in the campaign, the New York Times reported Monday.
In a statement to the Times, campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks announced Lewandowski was no longer employed by the campaign.
“The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican Primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” Hicks said in the statement. “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”
An anonymous source briefed on the news told the paper Trump’s campaign had long planned internal “adjustments” as they pivot toward the general election.
New York magazine reported Lewandowski’s ouster came after a Monday morning meeting with Trump and his three oldest children, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr., where Trump’s adult kids were the driving force behind the top aide’s removal.
Multiple outlets reported Lewandowski was escorted out of the Manhattan building by security.
Reached by the Associated Press on Monday, Lewandowski said veteran operative Paul Manafort has already been in “operational control” of the campaign for months.
“Paul Manafort has been in operational control of the campaign since April 7. That’s a fact,” he said.
The ex-campaign manager did not betray any ill will in another statement, telling CNN: “I stand by the fact that Mr. Trump is a great candidate and is better than Hillary Clinton ever will be.”
Lewandowski had become an increasingly controversial figure in the campaign after he was thrust into the national spotlight for a physical run-in with a political reporter covering the New York businessman.
It was widely reported that Lewandowski strongly clashed with Manafort, who quickly became a central figure after joining the campaign as Trump’s convention czar in late March.
At least one Trump staffer celebrated the news, with adviser Michael Caputo tweeting:
Ding dong the witch is dead! https://t.co/pSqQwmAGz1 pic.twitter.com/5dE7GMeEK6
— Michael Caputo (@MichaelRCaputo) June 20, 2016
This post has been updated.
Pivot! Ballerina Twirls! Round and round we go…
The rudderless ship just got more unstable.
Sort of like a lousy ball team firing the manager because firing the whole team isn’t an option.
Rat? Sinking ship??
Or perhaps “walking the plank” is more appropriate?
How can you screw up that job? What is there to do?