Trump, Lewandowski & Fields

By now everyone has viewed the Michelle Fields – Corey Lewandowski video dozens of times, if not frame by frame. I’ve drawn my own initial conclusions from the video, but I will wait to pass judgment until all of the facts are in. As videos depicting Michael Brown and others have underscored, there’s usually more to the story than meets the eye. In this post I will analyze Donald Trump’s response to the incident. He’s the candidate, and we can learn a lot of studying his approach.

Predictably, most pundits and all of the other Democrat and Republican candidates called for Trump to fire his campaign manager. The incident is a distraction, Lewandowski put himself in a difficult predicament, and he should go. Besides, this is politically expedient, as it positions the other candidates as proponents of high standards at Trump’s expense. But is this valid?

It is commonplace to unload a member of your political team when detractors demand a scapegoat. Arguably, Lewandowski’s behavior might have been a little more combative than necessary, but there is no clear evidence that he intended to physically harm anyone. He made a split-second decision to get between Fields and Trump in what has become a heated campaign environment. He shouldn’t be penalized for making a tough call.

People frequently make the wrong split-second judgment or choose the wrong words to answer a question. The only way to avoid such mistakes is to avoid action. Business leaders like Trump understand and appreciate this reality. In the world of politics and spin, elected officials are expected to avoid offense at all cost and fire anyone on their team who is called into question. This is the personification of political correctness and it’s a big part of the reason why Trump is getting so much support. Many Americans are tired of the PC mentality and they want to elect a president who is as well. They respect Trump for not throwing Lewandowski under the bus.

Trump noted—and rightfully so—that Lewandowski should have been let go immediately if he had pulled Fields to the ground. I agree. There is a point where serious action should be taken, but there is no evidence that this occurred. For this reason, I believe Trump handled this situation properly. It demonstrates his strong leadership instincts and loyalty to his fellow team members.

Like Trump or not, he got this one right.

10 thoughts on “Trump, Lewandowski & Fields

  1. DT had the courage to make the right decision and not give into the media. Even with his imperfections, this is why he is in a class by himself.

  2. I’m one of the few undecideds left. I have to admit, Trump outflanked everyone this time. Everyone I know respects him for standing by Corey.

  3. Donald Trump is a businessman, not a politician. Businessmen (and women) are judged by results, not PC.

  4. I humbly disagree. this is just more brutality from Mr. Trump. Lewandowski shoud have been fired on the spot, but the candidate likes it when people are roughed up.

  5. Trump may have been right to stand by Lewandowski, but it is another example of how he is unprepared politically. Whether it’s Michelle Fields, Chris Matthews or questions about NATO or nuclear proliferation, he manages to blow them all. Whether is does him in remains to be seen. One can only hope

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *