Donald Trump campaign gets second major shake-up

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Donald Trump has shaken up his presidential campaign again, promoting a senior adviser and hiring a top executive from Breitbart News, the campaign said Wednesday.

Kellyanne Conway, formerly a Trump campaign pollster and adviser, has moved up to campaign manager and Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen Bannon has been hired as the campaign's chief executive.

The changes were made Sunday and formally announced Wednesday. It's the second major shake-up for Trump's flagging campaign. The first was firing former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in June and handing the reins to veteran campaign strategist Paul Manafort and increasing the influence of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who had been acting as a de facto campaign manager approving day-to-day expenditures, lower level personnel moves and other campaign minutiae.

Despite that last shake-up, Trump's falling poll numbers and stories of Manafort's connections to pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians likely led to what some viewed as a demotion, The New York Times reported. The Trump campaign said Manafort would retain his title as campaign chairman and chief strategist.

"I have known Steve and Kellyanne both for many years. They are extremely capable, highly qualified people who love to win and know how to win," Trump said in a statement Wednesday. "I believe we're adding some of the best talents in politics, with the experience and expertise needed to defeat Hillary Clinton in November and continue to share my message and vision to make America great again."

"I look at it as an expansion of the team," Conway told CNN. "Paul remains as chairman."