The Wall Street Journal editorial board dismissed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s decision to fire his campaign manager, pointing out that “the shake-up will only make a difference if Mr. Trump recognizes how badly he is harming his own prospects.”

Trump fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski amid “increasing concerns from allies and donors, as well as [Trump’s] children, about the next phase of the campaign.”  Lewandowski was an original member of the Trump campaign and took center stage in the controversy following former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields’ accusation that he assaulted her. Trump initially stood by his manager, despite growing concerns within the Republican party over the campaign style.

Numerous right-wing media figures attempted to spin the campaign shake up as a “good pivot” for Trump,  but the Journal’s June 20 editorial wrote that Lewandowski’s departure “will only make a difference if Mr. Trump recognizes how badly he is harming his own prospects.” If he doesn’t, the board wrote, “don’t be surprised if unbinding the GOP delegates to choose another nominee at the July convention starts to seem like an urgent and attractive option to a growing number of Republicans.”  From the June 20 editorial:

Donald Trump seems to be trying to pack as many self-created crises as he can into the 20 weeks until Election Day, and a new installment arrived Monday as he suddenly fired his campaign manager. Campaigns ultimately reflect the candidate and his leadership, or lack thereof, and the shake-up will only make a difference if Mr. Trump recognizes how badly he is harming his own prospects.

Perhaps the termination of Corey Lewandowski, heretofore Mr. Trump’s most loyal aide who was present at the campaign’s creation, is his concession that his operation is dysfunctional. He allowed competing power centers to emerge, with Mr. Lewandowski anchoring one camp and the veteran Beltway operative Paul Manafort the other.

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Mr. Manafort reportedly has been trying to professionalize the campaign. But it isn’t an optimistic signal that Mr. Trump fired Mr. Lewandowski only after a family intervention that included Mr. Trump’s son, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Mr. Trump still has time to reverse his fortunes, even if the hour is late. If he wants to run a national campaign, he’ll allow Mr. Manafort to fill out his shoestring apparatus and put together a coherent hierarchy with delegated responsibilities and clear lines of accountability.

But the hard reality is that the problems with the Trump campaign aren’t Mr. Lewandowski’s fault. They are Donald J. Trump’s. If he wants to avoid a historic loss like 1984 or 1972 that costs the GOP its House and Senate majorities, he’ll take more instruction from political professionals.

If he doesn’t, don’t be surprised if unbinding the GOP delegates to choose another nominee at the July convention starts to seem like an urgent and attractive option to a growing number of Republicans.