GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump finally and rather wisely jumped on the delegate-acquisition bandwagon this week by hiring veteran political strategist Paul Manafort to oversee his preparation plan for a potential brokered convention.
“In his new role, Manafort will oversee all the functions related to the nomination process, from courting delegates and assisting in getting them elected at state conventions to the nuts and bolts of preparing for a floor fight at the national convention in Cleveland in July,” reported The Hill.
Trump made a stellar decision considering Manafort’s extensive experience on the convention floor.
During the 1976 GOP convention, for instance, Manafort managed affairs for former President Gerald Ford, who went on to defeat Ronald Reagan, though he later lost in the general election to Jimmy Carter.
Ronald Reagan on the podium with Gerald Ford at the 1976 Republican National Convention pic.twitter.com/XZI0oV1863
— usman azeem (@usmanazeem2) January 2, 2016
Manafort also later managed the convention floor for former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The guy knows his craft, and he knows it exceptionally well.
Only one problem remains, and that happens to be campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, a temperamental fellow with comparatively little political experience who reportedly resents his newfound elder’s influence over Trump.
All is not peaceful in #Trump Paradise. Corey #Lewandowski campaign mgr. vs. Paul Manafort convention mgr.https://t.co/UZKexHV89L
— Haflings Harrison (@Haflings) April 6, 2016
Internal beefs aside, this new hire bodes well for the front-runner, who has become increasing unlikely to secure the 1,237 delegates needed for him to automatically designate himself the GOP nominee prior to July’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
With the odds of a brokered convention rising so rapidly, Trump must begin prepping now, lest his chief rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, “steal” all his delegates away from him.
Source: STRATEGY: Trump Makes Massive Change With New Hire… He’s Prepping For WAR
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