Why Donald Trump decided to cut off his 'right arm'

Mr. Trump's "right-hand man" is said to have displeased the billionaire's daughter and son-in-law, and fought for power with a colleague.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his recently fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Photo: Reuters.

Corey Lewandowski was at the height of his political career, as Donald Trump's campaign manager, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Lewandowski has been an unlikely force in Trump’s campaign, with the billionaire repeatedly defending his controversial and aggressive campaign manager and helping him navigate crises that would have ended the careers of almost any other political staffer.

The relationship between the two men was so close that Trump refused to fire Lewandowski after the manager was arrested in March and charged with assaulting former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields. (The lawsuit was later dismissed.)

But yesterday, it became clear that Lewandowski had finally gone too far when billionaire Trump decided to cut off his "right arm" and abruptly fired him.

According to CNN, campaign officials, Republican strategists and people close to Mr. Trump revealed that Lewandowski’s firing seemed unexpected but was actually long-standing. For months, tensions had been simmering inside Mr. Trump’s campaign team and advisers, and a quiet, low-key campaign to convince the billionaire to fire Lewandowski was also being pushed.

And according to CNN, the final straw finally came: Lewandowski went too far in targeting the Trump family.

The relationship between Lewandowski and Jared Kushner, husband of Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, has become increasingly strained.

Lewandowski has been rumored to have tried to get negative stories about Trump's son-in-law into the papers as part of a strategy to "take down Jared," sources said.

Multiple sources say Ivanka Trump and Kushner were central to Trump’s final decision to fire Lewandowski. Trump’s daughter and son-in-law had been trying for months to convince their father to do so, worried that Lewandowski was increasingly a toxic influence on Trump, provoking some of the billionaire’s worst instincts rather than reining them in ahead of the general election.

Mr Trump’s children have watched in dismay as he has increasingly “digged his own grave”. To the outside world, Mr Trump appears unaware, or even unconcerned, of the serious political consequences of his actions.

The candidate repeatedly targeted Judge Gonzalo Curiel, questioning his ability to make fair decisions because he is of Mexican descent. After the Orlando nightclub massacre that killed 49 people, Trump suggested that President Barack Obama might have been somehow complicit in the shooting. He also doubled down on his call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, drawing sharp criticism from Republicans within the party.

Lewandowski has refused to acknowledge any problems with the Trump family, despite multiple sources confirming them. Hours after his firing, Lewandowski told editor Dana Bash that he had a great relationship with the Trump family and had no intention of smearing any of the billionaire’s allies.

“If Donald Trump wins, it’s good for Corey Lewandowski and good for the country,” he said. “How could I want to do anything other than what’s in the best interest of him and the campaign?”

The Washington Post said the purpose of the firing was to end a long-standing power struggle between Lewandowski and Paul Manafort - a professional political boss brought in by Trump in the middle of the campaign to take over the job during the party convention.

The paper speculates that choosing Manafort and dropping Lewandowski is a signal to Republicans that Trump knows things have gone wrong and is committed to changing them.

While Lewandowski insisted yesterday that he has no regrets about how he ran the campaign, it is unclear what role Lewandowski might play in the Republican's political future.

Lewandowski, who had no experience managing a presidential campaign before working for Trump, also distanced himself from the Republican Party during the 2016 campaign, dismissing concerns from Republican leaders that Trump, especially his rhetoric on immigrants and minorities, would permanently damage the party’s image.

Now, many close to Mr Trump have expressed relief, and hope that Lewandowski’s departure will mark a major campaign reset. For at least one Trump adviser, the joy is palpable.

Trump adviser Michael Caputo wrote on Monday: "Ding dong, the witch is dead!"

However, by noon Caputo had also left the campaign. He expressed regret for his comments and resigned.

According to VNE