Some of Donald Trump’s key loyalists are quietly lining up in opposition to the prospect of tapping the president-elect’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for a key role, according to about a dozen Trump allies and other influential Republicans.

They are warning that Lewandowski’s penchant for bitter infighting and aggressive behavior — combined with his contentious relationships with Trump’s family and close confidants — could poison Trump’s nascent operation before it even gets off the ground.


“Corey has a problem because he has made so many enemies,” said a strategist working on Trump’s presidential transition, pointing specifically to incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump’s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Yet multiple sources familiar with Trump’s planning say Lewandowski is being considered for either a White House post — possibly deputy chief of staff for strategic planning — or even chairman of the Republican National Committee.

The handling of the Lewandowski situation could be an early indicator of how Trump, who has never held public office, will juggle the big egos necessary to run a massive operation that dwarfs any organization he’s previously overseen.

It also could reveal the applicability of the management style Trump plied at his companies and his presidential campaign — and even on his reality TV show "The Apprentice." He developed a reputation for micromanagement and for rewarding loyalists even when they had shortcomings, while seemingly relishing pitting his subordinates against one another.

A spokesman for Trump did not respond to requests for comment on Monday, and neither did Lewandowski, though on Friday, he told POLITICO that he has “good relationships with both” Priebus and Kushner.

But Lewandowski has signaled to people that he was interested in both the RNC post and a White House gig, according to several people who’ve been in communication with him. And, after making post-election appearances at Trump Tower, Lewandowski resigned as a paid on-air analyst for CNN, which escalated talk that he would be named imminently to an influential job under President-elect Trump.

When The Washington Post reported that Lewandowski was in the running to be White House chief of staff, longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, who clashed with Lewandowski during the campaign, objected.

“Does anyone think @jaredkushner would let that happen?” Stone tweeted.

A profane 43-year-old whose previous highest-level campaign experience occurred in an unsuccessful 2002 Senate reelection campaign in New Hampshire, Lewandowski was among Trump’s first presidential campaign hires. At the time, the billionaire real estate showman was regarded as a fringe candidate with little chance of winning the GOP nomination, let alone the presidency. He had only a handful of campaign staffers, and he forged close bonds with Lewandowski and a few others.

Yet tensions quickly flared between Lewandowski and a succession of other close Trump subordinates, including Stone and the adviser Sam Nunberg. Both subsequently left, or were pushed out of, Trump’s campaign. Later, Lewandowski engaged in an increasingly personal battle for power with the campaign’s chairman, Paul Manafort, and also clashed with Kushner, who played a major role in the campaign, and Priebus, who is RNC chairman.

Priebus and Kushner were instrumental in forcing Lewandowski’s firing as campaign manager in June. But Lewandowski continued advising Trump. And now, from their perches as incoming White House chief of staff and a member of the Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee, respectively, Priebus and Kushner are considered leaders of the Lewandowski naysaying contingent.

“The kids, the son-in-law and the new leadership — they don’t like Corey,” said an operative who worked with Lewandowski on the campaign and remains in contact with Trump’s team. “They think he’s a loose cannon and a distraction, and they don’t give him credit for anything that happened early in the campaign.”

Lewandowski ally Barry Bennett, who had been an informal adviser to the Trump campaign until being forced out after Lewandowski’s firing, argued Trump has been well-served by the former campaign manager.

“Corey has worked extremely hard for a very long time for President-elect Trump,” said Bennett, calling Lewandowski’s loyalty “absolute. He was among the first to understand what was President-elect Trump’s appeal.”

Neither Priebus nor Kushner responded to requests for comment, nor did Manafort or Nunberg. Stone — who, like Manafort, continues to communicate with Trump though neither has an official role with the transition — said he “couldn't hazard a guess” whether people around Trump are raising concerns about elevating Lewandowski.

While Trump could override any such concerns about placing Lewandowski in a White House job, it wouldn’t be so easy at the RNC.

That’s because, while national party committees tend to give broad deference to their president’s leadership preferences, the RNC chairman is actually elected by the 168-member national committee. And Lewandowski left many of those members with sour tastes in their mouths, according to one member of the committee and two operatives who work closely with the members.

In fact, Priebus, who has wide support among committee members, has recommended against Lewandowski as a replacement, according to one Republican who is familiar with the RNC chairmanship discussions, who said that Priebus’ concerns have diminished Lewandowski’s odds.

“Reince is not the one picking, so to speak, but he’s definitely weighing in on the decision,” said the Republican. “There’s a battle going on right now” about the RNC pick, said the operative. “The battle is Corey and Reince just head to head. A full-on battle right now.”

At one time, “there was the possibility that Corey was going to be picked,” but the operative said “they’ve kind of slowly backed away from Corey a little bit,” adding: “I don’t know if that’s imminent anymore. I would say I don’t think it is.”

The operative added that “part of the tension” is that “Jared is not a real big fan of Corey; that’s not a secret.”

In recent days, others have emerged as more likely candidates for RNC chair. They include Trump’s deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, who is an RNC member; Michigan GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who is a niece of 2012 nominee Mitt Romney; and the RNC’s liaison to state parties, Matt Pinnell, who is a Priebus ally.

If Lewandowski does get Trump’s recommendation as RNC chair or is tapped for a White House job, it could be critical for him to have wide support from the team, since it’s likely his ascension would be met by attacks from the left, similar to those that buffeted Trump’s newly tapped White House adviser Steve Bannon. Trump’s allies on Monday rose up to defend Bannon against charges that he is an extremist with disturbing ties to white nationalists.

Lewandowski came under fire in March, when, as campaign manager, he was accused of manhandling a reporter. While Trump stood by Lewandowski in the wake of the incident, it prompted a host of others to come forward with accounts of Lewandowski being rough with reporters, while profanely berating co-workers he deemed to be challenging his authority.

There also was grumbling from within the Trump campaign — and even the Trump family — about the way Lewandowski ran the campaign, which ultimately played a role in his firing.

Someone with knowledge of the discussions about a possible role for Lewandowski during Trump’s presidency said “it’s a conundrum that people are struggling with. How do you reward Corey without self-inflicting a wound that could come if he had real decision-making power?”

Kyle Cheney, Alex Isenstadt and Ben Schreckinger contributed to this report.