Donald Trump claimed the Republican
nomination Tuesday after flattening the establishment with his unorthodox
campaign -- but his convention is also exposing the downside of his
freewheeling approach.
The Trump campaign descended into a
familiar messiness after Melania Trump delivered a convention speech Monday
echoing lines from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address.
On the tumultuous day that followed,
Donald Trump was furious. Melania Trump was humiliated. And the campaign, which
had appeared to be on the path to becoming a more organized, disciplined
operation, was back on its heels, dealing with swirling accusations and
internal finger-pointing that yielded no real answers about what happened.
There was no immediate sign of a
campaign shakeup Wednesday and it remains unclear whether the incident will
have a lasting effect.
Trump's campaign chairman Paul
Manafort continued to refuse to acknowledge Wednesday morning that parts of
Melania Trump's convention speech were lifted lines, saying the controversy is
"not meaningful at all."
"The speech was very effective
and communicated those feelings," Manafort told CNN's Chris Cuomo on
"New Day." "The controversy
you're talking about is not
meaningful at all. She's not a candidate for office. She was expressing her
personal feelings about her country and her husband and why he's best for the
United States."
It is yet another unsettling episode
for the Trump campaign at a time when many top donors are closely watching
Trump and his operation to determine whether it is worth their investment this
fall.
Melania Trump's convention speech
was billed as one of the highlights of this week, one that could help humanize
him and appeal to female voters concerned about his temperament. In the moment,
it seemed like an elegant triumph for the Republican nominee, who proudly
escorted his wife off stage after a kiss. But soon side-by-side comparisons of
Melania Trump's remarks and Michelle Obama's 2008 speech were playing non-stop
on the networks.
The trouble seemed to subside for
the time being Tuesday when Trump won the roll call vote that officially made
him the Republican nominee and a series of speakers -- most notably New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie -- forcefully argued against Hillary Clinton's candidacy.
Still, the lack of vetting of
Melania Trump's speech was yet another example of the remarkable unevenness of
the Trump campaign operation at this critical juncture. It is clear that
Trump's children, who are new to politics, are a driving force guiding their
father, but sometimes appear out of their depth.
Manafort's team has brought depth
and experience to the team — and he pulled off an impressive feat last week by
squelching a rebellion in the rules committee with a team of 100 lawyers. They
have also worked effectively to sway Republican delegates who had once been
hesitant to support Trump.
Credit: CNN
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