Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Monday shook up his White House bid as he looks to a November showdown with Hillary Clinton, letting go his controversial campaign manager.
Corey Lewandowski — who had led the real estate mogul’s campaign from the start and was credited with Trump’s initial breakthrough in the primaries — has recently been sidelined, with more experienced political operatives taking over in the run-up to November 8.
Lewandowski courted controversy earlier this year over a March run-in with a reporter at a Trump rally. She accused him of roughly grabbing her, leaving bruises, but he denied that account. Florida prosecutors opted to drop all charges.
“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,” spokeswoman Hope Hicks told The New York Times in a statement.
“The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”
Trump’s team did not specify the terms of Lewandowski’s departure.
The 70-year-old Trump has recently taken a hit in the national polls, and sources within his campaign told the Times that he was looking to make changes ahead of the Republican national convention in mid-July.
