Donald Trump Shakes Up Campaign Staff: Paul Manafort Demoted, Kellyanne Conway and Breitbart's Stephen Bannon In

Donald Trump, whose presidential bid has been suffering in recent weeks, has shaken up the top of his campaign staff for the second time in two months by hiring a top executive from the conservative website Breitbart News and promoting a senior adviser in an effort to chart a new course for his struggling campaign.

The Republican nominee tapped Breitbart News Chairman Stephen Bannon for a new position as campaign chief executive and pollster Kellyanne Conway, who has been a campaign adviser in recent weeks, as campaign manager, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news early Wednesday morning. Paul Manafort, who has been Trump's campaign chairman, will remain in his role, albeit a diminished one.

In an official announcement of the new campaign leadership, Trump praised Conway and Bannon, noting that they share his "message and vision."

"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," said Trump.

Trump's statement continued: "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 am committed to doing whatever it takes to win this election, and ultimately become President because our country cannot afford four more years of the failed Obama-Clinton policies which have endangered our financial and physical security."

For his part, Manafort painted the new hires as executive expansion, rather than a shift.

"It is imperative we continue to expand our team with top-tier talent," Manafort said in the campaign statement. "Steve and Kellyanne are respected professionals who believe in Mr. Trump and his message and will undoubtedly help take the campaign to new levels of success."

However, the reorganization seems to indicate a diminishing authority for Manafort as support for Trump in the polls is rapidly declining stemming from a strong Democratic National Convention for Clinton and a series of Trump's own missteps in recent weeks.

Manafort, a GOP campaign veteran, joined the Trump campaign in March to professionalize the operation, which had been run with very little money or organization. He won a power struggle with former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was fired in June.

As poll numbers have dropped, the Republican establishment has called on Trump to become more presidential in his manners and overall approach to the campaign. Trump, however, has resisted and Manafort has grown increasingly frustrated at his candidate's unwillingness to change.

"I am who I am," Trump said on Tuesday. "It’s me. I don’t want to change. Everyone talks about, ‘Oh, well you’re going to pivot.’ I don’t want to pivot. I mean, you have to be you. If you start pivoting, you’re not being honest with people."

In recent days, Manafort has been the subject of several reports about the work he did for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party, in which he is accused of receiving more than $12 million in off-the-books cash payments — something he vehemently denies.

In recent national polling, Clinton leads head-to-head match-ups against Trump, with the Democrat holding 47.7 percent support compared to 41 percent for the New York businessman, according to averages compiled by RealClear Politics.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons