Donald Trump's campaign wants to make him act more presidential. He reportedly isn't pleased.

Contrary to Donald Trump's new aide Paul Manafort's suggestion, the Republican presidential frontrunner isn't actually ready to start acting more presidential, Politico reports. After Manafort told Republican leaders last week that Trump was simply "projecting an image" to win over voters and would soon "evolve" into a more toned-down version of himself, Politico reports that Trump "became upset." So upset, in fact, that he is apparently now giving some of Manafort's new authority back to his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.
Although Trump himself has suggested that he plans to become more presidential at some point down the road, Politico reports that "campaign insiders say it has become increasingly clear that Trump, for all his boasts about his ability to become more 'presidential,' is simply unwilling or perhaps unable to follow through, and resents efforts to transform him." Trump reportedly turned down Manafort's planned speech for him after his New York primary victory in favor of coming up with it on the fly and, on Monday, he was back to mocking his competitors, this time hitting Ohio Gov. John Kasich's "disgusting" table manners.
"That's Trump," an operative close to the Trump campaign told Politico. "If you try to force him into a box, he's going to climb out of the box just to prove it to you. If you say he's going to be more presidential, all you did is make him less presidential."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read Politico's full story on Trump's aversion to becoming more presidential and the resulting tensions in the campaign here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Missionaries using tech to contact Amazon's Indigenous people
Wealthy US-backed evangelical groups are sending drones to reach remote and uncontacted tribes, despite legal prohibitions
-
August 3 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a human data center, Donald Trump's enterprising spirit, and more
-
5 darkly funny cartoons about Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Cartoons Artists take on forcing famine, avoiding aid, and more
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein