Ivanka, Don Jr., and Eric Trump reportedly want Stephen Bannon fired to save the Trump hotel brand
The sniping between President Trump's chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, got so intense that Trump stepped in last weekend and told them to work it out. Since then, it appears that the Kushner faction — including Ivanka Trump, economic adviser Gary Cohn, and deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell — has gotten the upper hand, and the entire Washington political press is speculating about when Bannon will be pushed out of the White House. And it's not just Ivanka on Team Bannon-Be-Gone, The Washington Post reports:
"The fundamental assessment is that if they want to win the White House in 2020, they're not going to do it the way they did in 2016, because the family brand would not sustain the collateral damage," one well-connected Republican operative told The Post. "It would be so protectionist, nationalist, and backward-looking that they'd only be able to build in Oklahoma City or the Ozarks."
The Bannon camp is warning, meanwhile, that there's no second term without Bannon and his brand of anti-establishment populism. "I think firing Bannon would be a huge mistake for Trump," Steve Deace, a conservative commentator in Iowa, tells The New York Times, adding a warning about the pugilistic nationalist-populist: "Hell hath no fury like a Bannon scorned." Vin Weber, a Republican former congressman, isn't convinced that "Bannon is a hero to grass-roots Trump voters," he tells The Times. "I talk to these people, and they're not going to turn on Trump because of some guy named Steve Bannon." At the same, he added, "the grass roots do listen to talk radio and the right-wing blogosphere. The question becomes, do they turn on Trump because of this?" Another question might be whether the grass roots stay in luxury hotels.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Do youth curfews work?
Today's big question Banning unaccompanied children from towns and cities is popular with some voters but is contentious politically
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Sleaze baack!'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 20 - 26 April
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published