Donald Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, resigned Friday under fire over a Ukrainian corruption investigation and after being sidelined in a reshuffle as the Republican nominee struggles to reverse sinking poll numbers. The departure of the smooth-talking seasoned strategist, who has advised Republican presidential candidates going back to Gerald Ford, follows weeks of Trump missteps that have flung his White House campaign into crisis.
"This morning, Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign," Trump said in a statement, thanking him for "his great work" and hailing him a "true professional." Manafort's exit coincides what supporters call a new era in the Trump campaign following the appointment Wednesday of a right-wing news executive as CEO and the promotion of a respected pollster to campaign manager.
On Thursday, Trump shocked many by expressing "regret" for the first time for past mistakes and on Friday the campaign began airing its first television ads in a desperate attempt to chip into Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's yawning lead in both national and crucial swing-state polls.