I'm sure you already know
this:
Donald J. Trump has fired his divisive campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski....
The loss of Mr. Lewandowski was intended as part of a larger shift toward the final sprint of the race, according to those briefed on the matter.
Mr. Trump had faced increasing concerns from allies and donors, as well as his children, about the next phase of the campaign....
The campaign manager was seen as having a hostile relationship with many members of the national press corps who cover Mr. Trump, and many officials at the Republican National Committee had strained relationships with him.
Charlie Pierce
writes:
Somehow, I don't see Trump firing this guy because he was mean to the national press corps. I suspect some members of the extended Trump clan lined up against Lewandowski and that was the ballgame.
And that appears to be exactly what happened.
NBC reports that Ivanka Trump has wanted Lewandowski out for some time, but only now has her father agreed:
Trump's children, especially Ivanka, have been unhappy with Lewandowski. She has been unnerved "for months," especially after Lewandowski was accused of physically assaulting female reporter, Michelle Fields. But Trump had remained loyal to his campaign manager.....
After Trump's drop in the polls, his children were able to make the case that Lewandowski was no longer fulfilling a need. Ivanka and his other children, Donald Jr. and Eric, attended the meeting Monday morning when Lewandowski was let go.
And according to
CNN, there was one more issue:
Contributing to Ivanka Trump's recent dissatisfaction with Lewandowski were intensifying tensions between Lewandowski and Ivanka Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, an influential force behind the scenes. One source said rumors swirled that Lewandowski had attempted to plant negative stories in the press about Kushner -- a final straw for Ivanka Trump.
A threat to Kushner is also a threat to Donald Trump's
next ego gratification scheme, if
a story published last week by Vanity Fair is correct:
Trump is indeed considering creating his own media business, built on the audience that has supported him thus far in his bid to become the next president of the United States. According to several people briefed on the discussions, the presumptive Republican nominee is examining the opportunity presented by the “audience” currently supporting him. He has also discussed the possibility of launching a “mini-media conglomerate” outside of his existing TV-production business, Trump Productions LLC. He has, according to one of these people, enlisted the consultation of his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who owns the The New York Observer. Trump’s rationale, according to this person, is that, “win or lose, we are onto something here. We’ve triggered a base of the population that hasn’t had a voice in a long time.” For his part, Kushner was heard at a New York dinner party saying that “the people here don’t understand what I’m seeing. You go to these arenas and people go crazy for him.” ...
Trump, this person close to the matter suggests, has become irked by his ability to create revenue for other media organizations without being able to take a cut himself. Such a situation “brings him to the conclusion that he has the business acumen and the ratings for his own network.” Trump has “gotten the bug,” according to this person. “So now he wants to figure out if he can monetize it.”
... “Even old Fox News didn’t have the right read on what the base is,” one person briefed on the conversation told me. “And we do.”
Trump may be trying to right the campaign ship, and he may be trying to please his children, especially his daughter. But everything with Trump is about Trump. One reason he loves Ivanka and Jared is that they're on board with his ego trip -- the current one and possibly the next one.
His kids probably see their inheritance going up in flames.
ReplyDeleteOh, just great!
ReplyDeleteJust what we need:
tRUMP wants to out-FOX, FOX.
Oy...
dSmith, I think it's more likely the kids know all about how Ivanka's creepy fawning dad is operating a chimera comprised of 500 or so corporate plates spinning around his retained share of his inheritance, given off the illusion of a much more substantial core than in fact exists. It's the same strategy that's been used in human war craft for millennia, and in the realm of insect for over 300 million years. I think Trump's kids are pretty much like Murdoch's kids in wanting to inherit control over a lucratice media organization. There's always loads of cash in such banana stands.
ReplyDeleteYou say "out Fox Fox." But I ask, has Fox been protectionist and non-interventionist?
ReplyDeleteOr has Fox been "small government" except when it comes to warmongering?
Maybe Trump can get Buchanan a platform equaling or better Limbaugh's. What a phony Elitist was Limbaugh, supporting centrist George HW Bush over Buchanan when the latter ran for prez.
Buchanan last had a platform with the Mutual radio network until it folded.
If he's talking about the next new project and annoyed about the way this one doesn't make him any money, isn't it a sign he's getting a fatigued with it? I'm really wondering if he could drop out. You'd think Jared and Ivanka would rather see him making money than pissing it away on politics as well.
ReplyDeleteI imagine waking up one morning to hear the whole thing has been the filming for a reality show about to premiere on the brand new T channel.
I'm pretty sure his ego won't allow him to drop out, unless he can create the impression that he's being forced out. And he doesn't want to drop out, because he's still getting ego reinforcement. But we'll see.
ReplyDelete