Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA
Politico writes that Stephen Bannon is increasingly isolated within the White House:
The conservative news site Breitbart has waged a nonstop campaign against national security adviser H.R. McMaster, but so far it seems to have done the most damage to someone else: Steve Bannon. A Wall Street Journal editorial earlier this week accused Bannon of using the right-wing media to go after his ideological foes, questioning his loyalty to the president and placing blame for White House dysfunction squarely on his shoulders.
….Bannon has grown more isolated without his ally Priebus in the West Wing….In June, Trump started telling aides that he suspected that Bannon was a source of negative stories, according to aides. After a slew of stories about Bannon “winning” policy wars in the White House—like Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord—the president told Bannon to “knock it off,” according to the senior administration official.
Priebus at one point also warned Bannon. “You’ve got to get people to stop writing this shit, because people know it’s you,” the senior administration official said.
I’ve recently read that H.R. McMaster is increasingly isolated in the White House. Now Bannon is increasingly isolated. Ivanka Trump is hunkering down and avoiding politics altogether. Anthony Scaramucci was fired after ten days on the job. John Kelly is brand new, but already running afoul of a president who doesn’t like being reined in. At the same time, Rex Tillerson is on the outs, Mitch McConnell is on the outs, Jeff Sessions is on the outs, and Paul Ryan is all but invisible these days.
So who’s left? Who does Trump still listen to? I guess Jared Kushner is still whispering in his ear. Maybe Kellyanne Conway? Mike Pence? I’m not sure. Who’s left these days who’s still on Trump’s good side?
