If you’ve been following the Trump White House closely, you’ll notice there seems to be a major shakeup in the works.
A number of seemingly unconnected events are starting to paint a picture of changing priorities and positions. As The Political Insider noted, President Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council.
A few outlets like the Independent revealed rumors about Bannon threatening to quit if he was removed, but Bannon has denied any such threat happened.
And just today, we’re learning of a major power struggle between Bannon and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the husband of daughter Ivanka:
Donald Trump’s chief strategist Stephen Bannon has called the president’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner a “cuck” and a “globalist” during a time of high tension between the two top aides, several Trump administration officials told The Daily Beast.
The fighting between Kushner and Bannon has been “nonstop” in recent weeks, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s been an “open secret” that Bannon and Kushner often clash “face-to-face,” according to senior officials.
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“There’s a big fight [going on],” one senior official said. “It’s all about policy. There’s tension [between them] on trade, health care, immigration, taxes, [terrorism]—you name it.”
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One senior Trump aide said that Bannon was also frustrated with Kushner “continuing to bring in Zeke Emanuel to discuss health care options,” for instance. The aide said Emanuel has had three White House meetings, including one with Trump.
Emanuel is one of the chief architects of Obamacare. For his part, Kushner was recently in Iraq, visiting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As a member of Trump’s inner circle and most trusted advisers, Kushner has the President’s ear on a daily basis, and was even given the responsibility of working on a new Middle East peace deal.
The Daily Beast speculates that part of the issue may have been the failure of the Obamacare repeal and the legal issues hanging up Trump’s temporary travel ban – both of which haven’t exactly succeeded. The thinking here is that, as a successful businessman, Trump expects to win, and there are consequences for losing.
We will have to keep a close eye on this rivalry and its consequences as the Trump administration continues to move ahead.
What do you think? Is there really a feud, or is it all bluster? Let us know in the comments!