CHRIS MATTHEWS (HOST): What happened in 2016 that had the Republican Party regulars, all of them -- Scott Walker, Perry, every one of them, Rubio, Cruz -- they all went down in a ravine. They are ditched by this one guy that comes in from outside the Republican Party, beats all of them, and wins the Republican nomination. First of all, what is it in the times that allowed that to happen?
PAUL MANAFORT: Well, Donald Trump figured out that the campaign for a moderate presidency is different than it's been in the past. He didn't put together a traditional campaign. In fact, it's the first modern campaign in the social media era. He understood how to use earned media instead of paid media. Instead of using 30-second spots, he had a dialogue with the American people, both through his access to the media and through his campaign appearances. And he also had a vision of what the American people wanted. Unlike saying that people were going to fix things on the edges of a gridlocked Washington that had put the country in angst over the last 20 years, he came in with a plan to change everything as a true outsider. I mean, he was not involved in politics until ten months ago, and he combined a modern campaign with a vision that was not constricted by the conventional wisdom of politics in Washington. Those two things made it a difference where he's going to be now, already is the highest vote-getter in the history of the Republican primary politics.
MATTHEWS: OK, he fits the times. How does he fit the Republican Party?
MANAFORT: Well, the Republican Party is a composition of the members of the party and not just the leadership. And he went out there, and again, he was the largest vote-getter in the history of primaries, and more to come still. He beat the record by May 3. So he is not just the titulary, but he is now the head of the Republican Party as far as the voters in the country are concerned. He ran everywhere, he won everywhere, and I think tonight's numbers as well show that the Republicans are happy with their nominee.
MANAFORT: Donald Trump understands media. He’s a television star and he’s connected to the media.
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MANAFORT: This is the ultimate reality show. It’s the presidency of the United States.
