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Frank Luntz: Bannon One of the 'Most Aggressive, Most Negative Operatives'
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 09:10 AM
By: Sandy Fitzgerald
Conservative pollster Frank Luntz questions the wisdom of a shakeup this late in the game for Donald Trump's campaign — especially one that brings a "negative" operative like Brietbart News' Stephen Bannon into the mix.
Trump confirmed Wednesday that he is bringing Bannon on as chief executive officer — effectively demoting campaign Chairman Paul Manafort — and promoting pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager.
"Steve Bannon, in particular he's one of the toughest, most aggressive, most negative operatives in America today," Luntz told "CBS This Morning."
"That signals to me that Trump, rather than softening his approach, is going to double-down on being the tough, in-your-face campaigner."
"These are independent undecided voters he's going after," the pollster said. "They appreciate his message, but they question him, himself. They don't like the persona, they don't like the anger, they don't like the hatred.
"They want change in Washington and they want change in Wall Street, and they think he can bring it, but they don't like him as a person."
The team shakeup is not what Trump needs at this point, said Luntz.
"You have additions," Luntz said. "That's traditional in politics. As you get closer to the election, you add more talent. But you don't have a shakeup like this. You don't take the top person and kind of push them [aside] as they did to Paul Manafort."
Meanwhile, Luntz said he's known Conaway for 30 years, and she is someone who "understands the role of polling and focus groups and messaging," but he wonders if Trump will listen to her.
Luntz also questioned the wisdom of Trump's reported hiring of former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes to help prepare for the upcoming presidential debates,
Luntz called the pair a "combustible" mixture, comparable to combining the powers of three late Russian strongmen.
"It is somewhat combustible to put Ailes and Trump in the same room," Luntz said. "It is like putting [in] Stalin, Trotsky and adding a little Khruschev."
However, Luntz did praise Ailes on the program.
"Roger is to me, and I've known him since 1980, the best political operative," Luntz said. "He knows how to win a debate, he knows how to win a presentation. He took [President] George H.W.Bush. I believe Roger Ailes was the most important person in that campaign."
Ailes, before taking the helm at Fox, served as an adviser to President Richard Nixon's campaign and helped both President Ronald Reagan and Bush prepare for their presidential campaign debates.
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