Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's campaign chairman, told The Huffington Post in May that “This is not a hard race,” but things have changed since then. Manafort may stay on as campaign chairman, but the operational power has shifted elsewhere. But the fact is that Manafort, as shrewd and capable as he is, never managed a presidential campaign, or any high-level American campaign effort. And the leading authority on social media and politics in the Trump campaign is Trump himself. Trump had known him for years (Manafort has a condo in Trump Tower), and Manafort was recommended to Trump most forcefully and effectively by their longtime mutual friend, international businessman Tom Barrack.

Source: Huffington Post August 17, 2016 17:37 UTC