HEATHER NAUERT (HOST): Are they now on track with their campaign?

KURT BARDELLA: Well I think at the end of the day, one speech, one day on message doesn't make an entire campaign, and certainly doesn't erase an entire year's worth body of work where Trump has been off-discipline, he has been off-prompter, liable to say anything that comes to his mind. There is a real question as to whether or not this is a temporary situation or if this is a real long term pattern of behavior. And really only time can tell whether this will really hold up. But the real question is, if polls don't improve in key battleground states, will this disciplined Trump really hold up?

NAUERT: Well, you know, he got a lot of kudos for last night sort of apologizing in a sense and saying that he regrets some of his comments. But then with the news just coming out this morning about Paul Manafort's resignation, it seems like he maybe sort of stepped on his message a little bit. He could have had the opportunity to have let that breathe and let it be the headline that he said he regretted things, and instead were focusing on what happened with Paul Manafort.

BARDELLA: Well, I think it's just another example of the Trump team not really having their act together. You'd think if there was going to be a departure to align with the new leadership, that there would have been an opportunity to have the Paul situation already dismissed when they announced the additions of Kellyanne and Steve Bannon. And instead they stepped on their own news cycle needlessly to have a now process campaign story become the key, dominant headline. It really just doesn't make any sense, and it just kind of tells you just a little bit that this campaign isn't really operating on full cylinders. 

NAUERT: On the other hand though, you could argue that Paul Manafort had been a real distraction, that news about accepting the millions of dollars from that pro-Russian party in the Ukraine. You might see how the Trump campaign would just kind of want that off to the side. 

BARDELLA: Well it's very clear that was only getting worse, and everyday there were new stories about what the involvement was, new questions about what his involvement with the government situation and how appropriate that was. The Clinton campaign’s been very effectively driving that. So any time that a member of the staff becomes a real distraction to the campaign and to the message of the day, you have to take a look at side lining them. And it's obviously something that everyone, I think, saw coming when Bannon and Kellyanne were brought on board. I was just surprised they didn't dispose of this sooner rather than letting a news cycle go by and stepping on their own message.

NAUERT: OK, so you just mentioned Steve Bannon. You used to work at Breitbart. He was your boss. I know the parting wasn't completely amicable, but what can you tell us, in a fair fashion, about what it was like working for him and what we might be able to expect from his leadership at the Trump campaign.

BARDELLA: You know, Steve's someone who governs very much by fear. He's a bit of a dictator of a character, he's known for making late night, profanity-laced tirade phone calls at his staff when things aren't going the way that he wants them to go. He's also a very hardworking guy. He works nonstop, 24/7. That's the type of drive you need in a campaign atmosphere. But I think it'll be -- it'll remain to be seen how he involves and interacts with the actual campaign team, and if how he acted and conducted himself internally at Breitbart is any indication of what he'll be like on the campaign, it will make working with Corey Lewandowski look very easy in comparison. 

Previously:

Former Breitbart News Spokesman Rails Against New Trump CEO: A “Pathological Liar”

Former Breitbart Employees Slam Bannon’s “Nightmare” New Role In Trump Campaign

What You Need To Know About The Trump Campaign’s New Chief Executive And His Bigoted Website