Al Drago/Congressional Quarterly/ZUMA
Just hours after being fired and escorted out of Donald Trump’s headquarters in New York, Corey Lewandowski appeared on CNN on Monday to continue praising the presumptive Republican nominee for president, and defend the real estate magnate amid sinking poll numbers and reports of chaos within the campaign.
“I don’t know, I don’t know the answer to that,” Lewandowski said when he was asked by Dana Bash about his termination. “But what I do know is that what we’ve been able to achieve this election cycle is historic.”
“The campaign’s moving in the right direction, that’s the most important thing,” he said, one of the many times he appeared to discuss losing his job as if he were still employed with the campaign.
This @DanaBashCNN interview with Lewandowski is becoming quietly epic. He’s sounding as if he was just hired, not fired.
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) June 20, 2016
Shortly after news broke that the intensely controversial Lewandowski had been removed as campaign manager, New York Magazine‘s Gabriel Sherman reported that Trump’s children had played a lead role in his ouster.
When pressed about the claim, Lewandowski demurred, and called Trump’s daughter Ivanka “polished,” even describing his time working with her as “an honor.”
“I can say I’ve had a great relationship with the family and I think I continue to do so,” he said.
In another interview with MSNBC, Lewandowski echoed similar statements supporting Trump and said that he was “so honored” to have been a part of the campaign. During his time as campaign manager, Lewandowski was known for his combative relationship with the press, and was accused of forcibly grabbing a former Breitbart reporter during a March campaign event.
