5 Rumors About Corey Lewandowski We Can't Ignore

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Political operative and co-author of the controversial "Let Trump Be Trump" memoir, Corey Lewandowski, doesn't exactly have a reputation for being a Boy Scout. But don't tell President Donald Trump that. "I just like him. Corey's a character," the then-presidential hopeful famously told New York Magazine in 2024 about his controversial move to bring Lewandowski back into the fold as one of his campaign advisers.

Over the years, Lewandowski has found himself the subject of many rumors that threatened to upend his career and tarnish his reputation forever. Trump, himself, fired Lewandowski in 2016 and again in 2017, amid rumors of pressure from insiders, including Trump's three eldest children. "It was going from checkers to chess," a Trump campaign adviser told GQ about Lewandowski's 2016 pink slip, "and they didn't feel like Corey was up to it." Oh yeah, and there's also those pesky affair rumors with not one but two of his high-profile female colleagues. Alexa, play "Rumors" by Lindsay Lohan.

On March 10, 2016, former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields accused Corey Lewandowski of physically assaulting her while she attempted to ask Donald Trump a question at a March 8, 2016 press conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. "Trump acknowledged the question, but before he could answer, I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down. I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance," she recalled in an op-ed for Breitbart News. While Fields confessed that she initially didn't know who grabbed her, she said that another reporter for The Washington Post quickly identified the aggressor as Trump's campaign manager, Lewandowski. "I quickly turned around and saw Lewandowski and Trump exiting the building together. No apology. No explanation for why he did this."

While Trump's campaign and Lewandowski vehemently denied Fields' claim, upon reviewing footage of the incident, Jupiter police officially charged Lewandowski with battery. Still, the former campaign manager maintained that he had no recollection of touching her. "I didn't know what happened, honestly, and the interaction with Michelle Fields lasted the sum total of about three seconds of my entire life. I never met her before, and the only time I've ever interacted with her is on that videotape," he told host Chris Cuomo during a CNN interview. "Three seconds may sound like a long time, but it was a brief interaction, and it wasn't memorable to me, and I'm sorry about that." In the end, Palm Beach County's state attorney, Dave Aronberg, dropped the charges. According to NPR, Aronberg admitted during a news conference that there was probable cause for the charges but ultimately said there was not enough evidence to convict Lewandowski. 

Did Corey Lewandowski have a thing with public relations executive and political advisor Hope Hicks? In May 2016, Page Six reported that the pair were caught in a screaming match on a Manhattan street in front of God and everybody in what appeared to be a lovers' spat. "Hope was screaming at Corey, 'I am done with you!' It was ugly, she was doubled over with her fists clenched. He stood there looking shocked with his hands on his head," one unsuspecting onlooker told the celebrity gossip news outlet. (File that one under: things you don't know about Hope Hicks.)

Conversely, another source claimed that the public altercation was actually "a campaign-related disagreement." The source added, "They were arguing how the announcement about Manafort taking more responsibility would be handled. There is an internal struggle to define what Corey's role would be." The world may never know why their argument took place.

In December 2017, singer and political commentator Joy Villa filed a police report against Corey Lewandowski, alleging that he had slapped her on the buttocks twice while in attendance at a party at the Trump International Hotel on November 28. "I'm wearing this silver suit and stretchy pants, and after the photo, he smacks my ass really hard. It was completely demeaning and shocking," Villa recalled during an interview with Politico. Alas, Lewandowski didn't stop there. After Villa warned Lewandowski to "watch it" and reminded him she could turn him in for sexual harassment, Lewandowski allegedly responded to the cautioning by saying, "Go ahead, I work in the private sector," and smacking her buttocks yet again. 

It should be noted, however, that while Villa did file a complaint with the police, she ultimately refused to press sexual assault charges against Lewandowski. "I would rather not go there," Villa said during an appearance on "Good Morning America." She added, "I really want an apology." Meanwhile, Lewandowski said during an interview on Fox Business' "Varney & Co." that he would simply "let the process play forward."

Things finally came to a head for Corey Lewandowski in September 2021 when he was accused of stalking and making unwanted sexual advances toward a high-rolling Republican donor's wife. "On the evening of September 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, I attended a dinner to support a charity and spend time with wonderful friends," Lewandowski's accuser, Trashelle Odom, said in a statement to Politico. "He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful." 

Unfortunately for Lewandowski, this time, he didn't appear to have Donald Trump's unwavering loyalty on his side. Immediately after Odom came forward with the allegations, Lewandowski was ousted from his position as the manager of Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC. Still, even during his ousting, the Trump camp appeared to keep things very cordial with the former campaign manager. "Pam Bondi, the very talented and honorable frmr AG of FL, has our complete faith and confidence in taking over MAGA Action. Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World," spokesperson Taylor Budowich tweeted about the shakeup. 

Although Lewandowski was charged with misdemeanor battery, in the end, he was able to cut a plea deal while his attorneys still fully denied the allegations. "A misdemeanor case was filed, but we are pleased to say the matter has been resolved. The court set conditions that Mr. Lewandowski will fulfill, and the case will ultimately be dismissed," the political operative's defense team said in a statement, per Politico.

In September 2021, at the same time Corey Lewandowski was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards a married woman, American Greatness reported that Lewandowski was also carrying on an extramarital affair with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. "There are members of Congress close to Mar-a-Lago who have called the affair 'an open secret' and worried that about Noem's viability as a national candidate and within the movement," a source claimed. As one can imagine, following the bombshell claim, Noem immediately went on the defensive. "These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie," she fired out in a since-deleted tweet (via CNN). "These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help." 

Alas, following Lewandowski being accused of making unwanted sexual advances against Trashelle Odom, Noem put out a statement distancing herself from the former campaign manager altogether. "Corey was always a volunteer, never paid a dime (campaign or official). He will not be advising the Governor in regard to the campaign or official office," Ian Fury, a Noem spokesman, told Politico. 

Since then, however, the pair appear to be as thick as thieves again, and now they're not even trying to squash the affair rumors. After Noem was tapped as Trump's secretary of homeland security, Lewandowski began assisting her with the so-called transition, as reported by Politico. Then, in February 2025, Politico reported that Lewandowski was officially working as a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security. But that's not all. Lewandowski was also at the scene of one of Noem's latest controversies, when Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed and removed after asking her a question regarding immigration policies. As the saying goes, old habits die hard.