The shakeup of Donald Trump's campaign staff is a clear sign he will try to win "at all costs," according to Corey Lewandowski, the Republican nominee's former campaign manager who is now a political commentator on CNN.
"If you look at Stephen Bannon [the campaign's new chief executive officer] and what they've built at Breitbart, it's win at all cost, and I really think that makes people on the left very afraid because they are willing to say and do things that others in the mainstream media wouldn't do," Lewandowski said on CNN.
Conservative pollster Frank Luntz, speaking on "CBS This Morning," called Bannon "one of the most negative operatives in America" and questioned the wisdom of doubling down "on being the tough, in-your-face campaigner."
When asked if this was not a dangerous tactic to take considering many people consider Trump's blunt and abrasive manner to be a large part of the problem, Lewandowski told CNN: "You have with Donald Trump a person who wants to be true to himself . . . As his poll numbers deteriorated, people continued to tell him to do things that he doesn't feel comfortable doing . . .
"So he said, 'I'm not going to pivot, I'm going to be the same Donald Trump.' You know what? That's the right thing to do when you are running for office. You want to tell the people who you are and let them make the decision."
Lewandowski also stressed the significance of adding Kellyanne Conway, an experienced GOP pollster who was named campaign manager.
"It is very important that Kellyanne is with him as often as possible," Lewandowski said. "No. 1, it's a woman and he needs a high-profile woman in a senior role there that he can listen to and understand what the gender gap is right now.
"She's going to help with that. She's an excellent person when it comes to message development."
Lewandowski added: "She also brings a sense of calmness to Donald Trump. She understands that when things are fired up, she has this calming effect on him and it allows him to manage and message him in a way that he wants to do it that he's comfortable with.
"Not trying to tell him what to say, but highlighting some of the message points that are going to resonate better with specific audiences he's going to talk to. So her being on the plane is something I think that has been lacking, which is that senior leadership on the plane, for the last two months."