What a joke! Trump turns campaign over to Breitbart exec, rearranges deck chairs on his sinking ship

As if attempting to appeal to African American voters with a deeply paternalistic speech in front of a lily-white Wisconsin crowd weren’t enough, it looks like Donald has hatched another desperate stunt to prop up his sinking campaign. Here is the news that just popped up on my Twitter feed:

(1) Another big shake-up (2) Breitbart exec taking over. Not even joking... https://t.co/2TYTXOPhiA

� Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 17, 2016

NEWS, first reported by @WSJ: Breitbart's Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway are now running the Trump campaign... Confirmed by WaPo

� Robert Costa (@costareports) August 17, 2016

The story is not yet available on the Wall Street Journal site, but here are a few snippets from the story, which will appear on tomorrow’s front page:

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is bringing two new managers to the top of his campaign in a bid to recover ground he has lost in recent weeks.

Stephen Bannon, executive director of Breitbart News LLC, an outspoken Trump supporter and a former Goldman Sachs banker, will assume the new position of campaign chief executive. At the same time, Mr. Trump is also promoting Kellyanne Conway, a veteran GOP pollster and strategist, to become campaign manager.

According to the article, Manafort will stay on, although who knows how that will work. The move comes as an effort to “bulk up a structure that many Republicans have complained wasn’t adequate for the rigors of the general election campaign.”

“I want to win,” Mr. Trump said in an interview Tuesday night in which he disclosed his hires. “That’s why I’m bringing on fantastic people who know how to win and love to win.”

Trump is keeping on Manafort as chairman but wanted to bring on someone like Bannon who shares his populism & relishes combat

� Robert Costa (@costareports) August 17, 2016

I guess bringing on the head honcho at Breitbart will solve all of Donald’s problems with women, people of color, young people and all of the other groups of Americans he has managed to totally alienate. Good job using your “good brain,” Donny!

Reporters and politicos on Twitter are reacting to the news with incredulity and ridicule, particularly in light of reports Trump has also hired disgraced ex-Fox chief Roger Ailes.

Trump's next staff shakeup will be to put Newt and Alex Jones in charge

� Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 17, 2016

Conway and Bannon, @RealDonaldTrump? Because George Zimmerman and David Duke were unavailable?#JustGetAHood

� Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 17, 2016

A person that runs Breitbart is about to reportedly run a major party's presidential campaign in a general election https://t.co/Rp8gvXiBCh

� Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 17, 2016

I will add more information and a link to the WSJ story when it becomes available online. For now, I could only find this screenshot of the front page:

News in Wednesday�s WSJ: Trump layers over Paul Manafort in campaign overhaul pic.twitter.com/qWVVa9KkFR

� Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) August 17, 2016

Here is a pretty good profile of Steve Bannon from Bloomberg: www.bloomberg.com/… His personal motto is “Honey badger don’t give a shit.” Sounds like a match made in heaven. Oh, and here is his photo. This is the guy we’ll be seeing on all of the Sunday shows, I guess:

BREAKING: Losing badly in polls, Trump overhauls campaign team, hires CEO from right-wing conspiracy pit Breitbart pic.twitter.com/y5uMKxOnWx

� The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) August 17, 2016

Thanks, MTmofo for finding some additional reporting on this story. It looks like this shake up was entirely Trump’s idea and that he intends to do it his way from now on. Prepare for a full-on freakshow:

As I continue to make calls, I keep hearing that this was driven by Trump. He wanted to finish race on his own terms, w/ pals at his side.

� Robert Costa (@costareports) August 17, 2016

"Buckle up." Trump aide to WaPo in text just now

� Robert Costa (@costareports) August 17, 2016

One more Costa tweet:

Story soon... BREITBART orbit is ecstatic... the Bannon-Coulter-Sessions wing of the right is now running GOP nominee's campaign

� Robert Costa (@costareports) August 17, 2016

And since I have to turn in for the night, here is a link to the NYT write-up of this whole mess: www.nytimes.com/…

Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman, will retain his title. But the staffing change, hammered out on Sunday and set to be formally announced Wednesday morning, represents a demotion for Mr. Manafort, who took control of the campaign nearly two months after Mr. Trump won the primary in Indiana, forcing the remaining two candidates from the race.

The news, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed by four people in and close to the Trump campaign.

The people briefed on the move said that it reflects Mr. Trump’s realization that his campaign was at a crisis point. But it indicates that the candidate, who has chafed at making the types of changes his current aides have asked for even though he has acknowledged they would need to be made, has decided to embrace his aggressive style for the duration of the race.