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Trump aide Paul Manafort promoted to campaign chairman, chief strategist

 
Paul Manafort is now the campaign chairman and chief strategist for Donald Trump.
Paul Manafort is now the campaign chairman and chief strategist for Donald Trump.
Published May 20, 2016

Donald Trump has given a broad new role and title to Paul Manafort, the veteran Republican operative he hired in March, ending weeks of confusion within Trump's organization about the campaign's chain of command.

Manafort will now be the campaign's chairman and chief strategist, according to Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Trump. Such titles are generally reserved for a presidential candidate's highest-ranking advisers.

The move, which was first reported by ABC News, formally elevates Manafort beyond the role for which he was initially hired: managing the convention for Trump and wrangling delegates to get behind his candidacy.

Corey Lewandowski, who has been the campaign manager since Trump entered the race, will remain in that role, Hicks said. She told ABC News that Lewandowski would "continue overseeing day-to-day operations and will work with Manafort on political strategy and communications, among other things, through the general election."

The announcement came after weeks of infighting between loyalists to Manafort and to Lewandowski repeatedly drew outside attention and created a distraction for members of the campaign staff.

Manafort has already made substantial changes to the campaign, including hiring the pollster Tony Fabrizio.