In his interview with Charlie Rose, Bannon admitted that within the first 48 hours after the November election, the Trump family had made the decision to “totally embrace the establishment” and depend on them for staffing. That meant Republicans In Name Only in almost all of the top positions and liberal Democrat holdovers in most of the second tier positions and the bureaucracy. And that meant that there would not be any real attempt to drain the swamp.
And, since personnel is policy, that meant that Trump would not be able to implement those salient and crucial parts of his agenda which had attracted his mass following for his rallies and his supporters in talk radio and the minority of the conservative movement that supported him. (Bannon admitted to Rose that he endorsed this decision, and strongly implied that he did so because he also was lacking in self-confidence and also that he did not have the clout to challenge Ivanka and Jared on this since they had already got the president on board with the decision.)
Steve Bannon stated: “In the 48 hours after we won, there’s a fundamental decision that was made. You might call it the original sin of the administration. We embraced the establishment. I mean, we totally embraced the establishment. I think in President Trump’s mind, or President-elect Trump’s mind, in Jared’s mind, in the family’s mind, I actually agreed with the decision. ‘Cause ya had to staff a government. And to be brutally frank. You know, the campaign look, I’d never been on a campaign in my entire life, right? You know, I’m a former investment banker who’s a media guy, running a little website. We were– our whole campaign was a little bit the island of misfit toys. So he looks around and I’m wearing my combat jacket, I haven’t shaved, I got, you know, my hair’s down to here, and he says he’s thinking. “Hey, I’ve gotta put together a government. I’ve gotta really staff up something. I need to embrace the establishment.” ‘
It is clear from the elevation of General Kelly to his position as white house dictator and the president’s baby-sitter (and his relentless purge of those committed to Trump’s campaign agenda) that the Trump family (and in a real sense the president himself) has little confidence in either the President’s agenda or his judgment. Kelly appointed as his deputy Kirstjen Nielsen, a woman who when she worked with him at Homeland Security was notorious for her open and vehement contempt for the President and his supporters. Both she and Kelly are as establishment as they come, the Swamp personified.
So the Trump family has just doubled down on the decision that they made in the first 48 hours after the election. It is one thing to posture and promise boldly before mass rallies in an election campaign, but it is another to put together an administration that will genuinely fight to make those promises come true. (Read more from “Bannon Claims Trump Made Conscience Decision To “Totally Embrace the Establishment” Within 48 Hours of Election” HERE)
Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.
