As in 'Celebrity Apprentice,' Trump fosters rivalries
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Donald Trump acquired a pair of Atlantic City casinos in the mid-1980s, he pitted his managers against each other in a ferocious competition over everything from booking entertainers to attracting high-rolling gamblers.
Trump's penchant for encouraging rivalries is now roiling his presidential campaign just as he's captured the GOP nomination, creating deep uncertainty among Republicans about his preparedness for a complex and costly general election campaign.
The tensions boiled over last week with the abrupt ouster of political director Rick Wiley, who left the campaign after just six weeks.
Wiley found himself caught between Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, one of the businessman's original campaign staffers, and Paul Manafort, a veteran Republican hand who was brought in to bolster the operation in March.
Trump aides would not make the candidate available for an interview, but they did not dispute the notion that the real estate mogul encourages internal competition.
People close to the campaign say there are major questions about battleground state hiring, voter targeting efforts and super PAC fundraising.
The competition described by O'Donnell led to an ill-advised, $70 million addition to Trump Castle, dubbed "The Crystal Tower," and continued even after Trump sent Ivana back to New York and three of the Plaza's top executives died in a helicopter crash.