As his presidential campaign gears up for the the general election, Donald Trump is promoting longtime Republican aide Paul Manafort to chairman and chief strategist of his operation.
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed the news to The Daily Caller on Thursday. ABC News first reported the promotion.
Manafort, an attorney and lobbyist, joined the Trump campaign as “convention manager” in March, when it appeared likely the Republican nomination could come down to a contested convention.
Since then, Manafort appeared to take over control of the campaign from campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
While Manafort will be campaign chairman, Hicks told TheDC that “Corey Lewandowski is still the campaign manager.”
According to a Trump news release at the time, “Mr. Manafort’s experience spans over three decades of working on U.S. presidential campaigns, and includes work on conventions for Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, as well as Republican Presidential nominee, Bob Dole.”