Steve Bannon doesn’t look well on a good day. And these are not good days for Bannon, at least as judged by those who play the very difficult game called “Interpreting Trump.” After having a big impact late in Trump’s campaign right through the early days of his presidency, Bannon is reportedly losing favor with his boss. Maybe it’s just Bannon’s high profile? (That Time magazine cover? Never good to show up the boss, especially if he’s a narcissist.)
Whatever the reasons, Trump is hinting that he doesn’t need Bannon — and in true Trumpian fashion indicating that he really never did need the man who became the Trump White House’s Chief Strategist. Here’s what Trump told the New York Post about Bannon:
“You have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.”
Those senators and governors include Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush (Jeb!). Bannon may simply attract too much attention for Trump’s liking. He’s a lightning rod for the left and for traditional Republicans, who both see his anarchist vision as counterproductive. (Dems tend to characterize Bannon more as evil than merely disruptive.) Trump sometimes likes when the attention shifts away from him, but never for long.
