Donald Trump praises fired campaign manager: 'I'd give him a 10'
In an interview on "Fox and Friends," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee heaped praise on former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
"I'd give him a ten," Trump said. "Number one: he's a great guy. And number two: he did a really great job."
He added: "He managed beautifully, now we're going a different way. We have a different group of people and it's going to be a bit different."
In multiple interviews on Tuesday, Trump emphasized that the decision to fire Lewandowski was part of a decision to shift campaign tactics.
Appearing on the "Today" show on Tuesday, the real-estate magnate said he was "absolutely loyal" to Lewandowski.
"We're going in a different direction because this is now different," Trump said. "The primaries - I ran them very lean, I spent very little money."
Trump also dismissed multiple reports that Trump's children, particularly Ivanka Trump, had lobbied for Lewandowski's removal after the campaign manager clashed with figures from the Republican National Committee and even Trump's own campaign staff and son-in-law.
"Ivanka really respects Corey, it's absolutely true - and she likes Corey. I read all these reports about the children. It's all nonsense," Trump said on "Today."
For his part, Lewandowski has remained publicly supportive of the real-estate magnate.
Appearing for multiple interviews with different cable networks, Lewandowski repeatedly dodged questions about his reported difficulties with other members of Trump's inner circle. He said that it was an "honor and a privilege" to work for Trump, and even thanked his former boss for the chance to work on the campaign.