Donald Trump Does a Campaign “Shake-Up,” Telegraphs His Own Desperation

How can you tell when a campaign is wailing its death throes? There a few ways, like when your campaign spokesman is the closest thing America has to a Russian agent. Or when your candidate advocates for the assassination of his opponent, or picks really stupid fights that can only make him look bad due to paper-thin skin.

Looking at the situation from a less Trump-specific vantage point, there has always been one clear sign of a campaign in critical disarray—the infamous “shake-up.” This desperate move is always done in the hope that new blood will inspire new ideas, and cause a complete turnaround that ends in victory. What actually happens is that the cold hard reality of the candidate’s unelectability remains…the cold hard reality of the candidate’s unelectability. Bad is bad, and applying lipstick to the pig only communicates a general sense of panic.

Good news: Donald Trump just did a shake-up He hired pollster Kellyanne Conway as his new campaign manager and Stephen Bannon—chairman of Breitbart News, hilariously—as “campaign chief executive.” Trump spouted the usual line of optimism—”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”—and Manafort followed suit, saying, “It is imperative we continue to expand our team with top-tier talent.”

Here’s what’s actually going to change—nothing. Except the stench of losing, which is now roughly 15 percent more pungent than it was a day ago.