Key score: Trump taps white nationalist and RNC yes-man for top spots in White House
Remember all of that wishful thinking about Trump since his improbable victory, that we should all just “give him a chance”? Y’know, that we should just pretend he didn’t spend the last 15 months scapegoating minorities and mainstreaming white supremacist talking points? (Don’t believe us? Fine. Read what actual white supremacists were saying. Before he officially became the nominee.)
People started wondering if Trump’s promises to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and ban all Muslims from entering the country were merely bits from the world’s worst stand-up comedy routine.
Well, based on one of his recent hires, it looks like he wasn’t kidding around.
What happened?
Still basking in the afterglow of an improbably successful campaign that blended the styles of Richard Nixon, George Wallace, and L. Ron Hubbard, Donald Trump rewarded two of his most loyal supporters with plum administration positions. Trump Campaign Chairman Steve Bannon will serve as Donald’s chief strategist, while RNC Chair Reince Priebus will serve as Trump’s chief of staff.
Bannon is the former head of Breitbart News, which Bannon himself has boasted is the “platform for the alt-right.” In case you’re wondering, the alt-right is a white nationalist movement made up of Nazis, anti-Semites, and others. The very term “alt-right” was first used by Richard Spencer, an American white nationalist, who supports a white homeland for a “dispossessed white race.” It is a rebranding effort to make white nationalism and anti-Semitism great again. If you doubt these claims about Bannon and the alt-right, just read Jamelle Bouie’s excellent and concise summary of the matter. Glenn Beck, noted leftist, even called the alt-right “truly terrifying” and castigated Bannon for elevating them.
Oh, and then things got even scarier after the Bannon hiring became official: White nationalists and actual Nazis rejoiced that one of their kin is so close to the Oval Office.
While Democrats in the Senate and House are condemning Bannon’s hiring, Republican members, predictably, have rolled over. Again. Speaking to CNN, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy offered a mealy-mouthed statement in response: “The president-elect has to be able to select his best team.” A real profile in courage.
“But wait!” You might declare. “Wouldn’t the chief of staff, Reince, keep this guy in line?”
In a word, doubtful. Reince spent the entire cycle surrendering to candidate Trump’s will. Priebus isn’t going to start laying down the law now that it’s President Donald Trump. If you’re familiar with the new season of The Walking Dead, think of Bannon as Negan and Reince as Rick Grimes. Spoiler alert: Negan’s in charge.
Is this normal?
It’s not unusual for senior hands on a successful presidential campaign to get swept into West Wing jobs. Priebus, a Wisconsinite, is a seasoned political operative, pals with Speaker Ryan, and knows everyone on Capitol Hill. He seems fit to carry out typical chief of staff duties, such as managing the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and controlling access to the president.
Bannon, on the other hand, represents a bit of a first: a media maven who controlled an international news organization. Politico has openly wondered about the possible consequences of the Trump administration using Breitbart for propaganda purposes: “Will America Now Have a Pravda?” What is stranger is that Bannon’s position was created specifically for him. He’s not just a valuable institutional player or even a longtime friend. The position given to Bannon suggests that he will be the closest to the president’s ear and have a role in macro political strategy.
Additionally, this may be one of the first occasions a strategist of a “Republican” president of the United States has so endorsed a worldview that runs counter to the spirit of America’s founding and indeed to the Constitution, and classical liberal founding ethos.
Bannon will likely have a tremendous impact on Trump’s transition team and the cabinet members Trump chooses in the coming weeks. Certainly, we must hope that the officials Trump appoints are more of the Priebus flavor than Bannon.
The “Trumped Test” Results:
While the hiring of Reince Priebus is fairly normal (and alone would be a normal start to a presidency), hiring Steve Bannon is most definitely not. The Bannon hire itself breaks the “Trumped” scale, maxing it out at 3, but the Priebus hiring takes it down a notch. Neither of them are encouraging enough to make America great again.
2/3 America’s Been Trumped + Won’t Make America Great
