Trump Campaign Says Staff Changes Are a 'Natural Evolution'

Brushing off the potential for hurt feelings, Donald Trump is continuing to overhaul his campaign, with new hires and an evolved command structure, as he enters the final stretch of a campaign that is still unusually undecided.

Trump last month hired campaign veteran Paul Manafort, a veteran of Republican conventions, to oversee his fight for delegates as he scrambles to lock down the 1,1237 majority he needs to clinch the nomination ahead of this summer's national convention. The campaign also announced last week that Rick Wiley, who previously managed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's campaign, had been hired as national political director, overseeing the campaign's filed operations.

The shakeup led Trump's national field director, Stuart Jolly, to tender his resignation Monday — on the eve of New York's crucial presidential primary. The move was met by disappointment among many of his campaign field staffers, who view the departure as a significant loss for the campaign.

In a telephone interview with Fox News Tuesday morning, Trump insisted that everyone on his growing staff "seems to be getting along pretty well." But he also acknowledged the potential for bruised egos when asked how his loyal inner circle has responded to what Trump described as the addition of "very high level people" to his team.

"When you bring other people in, I could see some people their feelings get a little bit hurt," he said. "But frankly, you know, we're in a position where we'd like to see if we can close it out. I think we're going to get to the number."

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said the new hires were "being brought in to do specific tasks," adding that it was part of "a natural evolution in a process."

"I think we have to adapt, we have to start transitioning for the general," he told reporters Tuesday outside the midtown Manhattan polling center where he cast a ballot for his father.

"We have a pretty clear lead, so it'll going to be exciting and that transition is going to be great."

"It's a very tactical change," he added. "And I think it's going to be very important in the campaign and the evolution of the campaign going forward."

According to people familiar with the changes, Manafort has increasingly taken on a pivotal role revamping the campaign to include people with more experience running a presidential campaign. The changes have prompted questions about the role of Trump's long-time campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

Since Manafort began to assert his power, Trump's campaign has made a number of subtle, but notable changes. He has been far more cautious on Twitter, has largely avoided controversy, and has spent less time on television, steering clear of the Sunday shows for two weeks running,

Nonetheless, some things have remained the same.

Asked whether Lewandowski or Manafort was running the campaign, Trump Jr. said neither.

"My father. My father is always running it," he said.