Story highlights
Corey Lewandowski is no longer Donald Trump's presidential campaign manager
The departure comes at significant time for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee
Donald Trump fired his controversial campaign manager Corey Lewandowski Monday, unleashing a major shake-up as he comes under pressure from his closest advisers – particularly his family members – to urgently reset his struggling presidential campaign.
Lewandowski’s abrupt departure is the campaign’s most significant staff change to date and signals an acknowledgment from Trump that an overhaul is necessary ahead of the general election. Trump has suffered major setbacks since becoming the GOP’s presumptive nominee last month, coming under intense criticism from party leaders, major donors and rank-and-file Republicans for an array of issues – including his response to the terrorist attack in Orlando that killed 49 people.
“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,” Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement Monday. “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”
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The decision to fire Lewandowski was made swiftly in a Monday morning weekly meeting with Trump’s family members, a Trump adviser said.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Lewandowski – asked why he was fired – said: “I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that.”
