If you only read one thing: For the second time in as many months, Donald Trump is shaking up his campaign. The latest move is the announcement early Wednesday that Breitbart CEO Stephen Bannon has been named the CEO of Trump’s campaign and veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway will serve as campaign manager. The latter post has been unfilled since June, when Trump fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski after an elongated power struggle with campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Coming on the heels of weeks of sliding polls and campaign turmoil, the moves represent something of a demotion for Manafort, who was originally brought in to manage Trump’s delegate operations but rose to command nearly all aspects of the campaign after Lewandowski’s ouster. The change, hammered out over the weekend at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, reflects an effort by Trump to right his campaign, as Republican groups mull writing off his White House effort to save the Senate and vulnerable House seats. Trump, who increasingly felt ‘managed,’ according to a campaign source, looked to Bannon, a campaign novice whose website has encouraged Trump’s more antagonistic tendencies, to return his campaign to Lewandowski’s mantra, ‘Let Trump be Trump.’
In an interview with TIME last week, Trump indicated he was frustrated by aides telling him to be more presidential—even as he seemed to buck their advice on live television. “I’m now listening to people that are telling me to be easier, to be nicer, be softer,” Trump said. “That’s OK, and I’m doing that. Personally, I don’t know if that’s what the country wants.” Breitbart has served as a megaphone for some of Trump’s most controversial policy proposals and political attacks, with the website espousing similar nativist and populist views. Conway, a pollster who appears frequently on television, is longtime advisor to Trump running-mate Mike Pence and ran a pro-Ted Cruz super PAC during the primaries. She has been advising the Trump campaign since June, but her new role provides her with more say over the campaign’s messaging, according to a person familiar with the new campaign structure. With under 12 weeks until Election Day, Trump is running out of time to reset his campaign, but the reshuffling, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, has campaign aides believing that Trump has decided that he’s going to remain the bombastic candidate that overthrew the GOP establishment to seize Republican nomination—win or lose.
Donald Trump is set to receive his first classified national security briefing in New York City Wednesday. He will be joined by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, his transition chairman, and Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, according to a campaign aide.
How Russia saw Donald Trump’s foreign policy speech. The FBI defends its recommendation not to charge Clinton. And Trump appeals to black voters.
Here are your must reads:
Must Reads
How Russia Saw Donald Trump’s Big Speech On Foreign Policy
What matters to Moscow is not Trump’s rhetoric but the fact that a candidate like him has gotten this far, TIME’s Simon Shuster writes
Manafort tied to undisclosed foreign lobbying
Effectively obscured the foreign political party’s efforts to influence U.S. policy. [Associated Press]
FBI defends decision not to charge Clinton as it submits probe documents to Congress
Clinton campaign requests documents be released publicly [Washington Post]
Trump accuses Clinton of ‘bigotry’ and promises tougher policing
Trump says Clinton supports ‘war on police’ [Washington Post]
Early Voting Limits Donald Trump’s Time to Turn Campaign Around
Weeks, not months [New York Times]
Sound Off
“The Democratic Party has failed and betrayed the African American community.” —Donald Trump in a “Law and Order” address in Wisconsin Tuesday.
“So don’t be complacent, my friends, because even though we’re doing fine right now, I’m not taking anybody, anywhere, for granted.” —Hillary Clinton to supporters in Pennsylvania yesterday.
Bits and Bites
Russia and Iran Fly Across a Key Threshold in the Middle East [TIME]
Liz Cheney Wins Wyoming Republican Primary [Associated Press]
Huma Abedin On Her Job, Family, and the Campaign of a Lifetime [Vogue]
Trump to Air First TV Ads of General Election Campaign [Wall Street Journal]
Bill Clinton’s misleading claim about ‘marked classified’ information in Hillary Clinton’s emails [Washington Post]
Roger Ailes Is Advising Donald Trump Ahead of Presidential Debates [New York Times]
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