Trump’s got a new favorite Steve: As the president cools on Steve Bannon, his deputy Stephen Miller is cultivating relationships with other members of Trump’s coterie. If Trump fired Bannon, would he seek revenge? Friends and foes imagine his options for brutal payback. If Trump fires Steve Bannon, he might regret it: Why a fired Steve Bannon could wreak havoc on Trump’s presidency. Is Bannon doomed? It hardly matters — Jeff Sessions is much better at white nationalism anyway. Trump’s pivot is real — he’s more right-wing than ever: Goldman Sachs runs the economy; Jeff Sessions runs civil rights. Within Trump’s inner circle, the moderate voice of Gary Cohn captures the president’s ear.
Trump reversals hint at Wall Street wing’s sway in White House over the populists. A lesson for Trump’s intellectual vanguard: The president’s early backers saw him as an ideological soulmate — that ideology seems to be lacking. Trump’s base turns on him: Steve Bannon’s downgrade is just one of many complaints — “We expect him to keep his word, and right now he’s not keeping his word”. Trump fought the Blob and the Blob won: Daniel Drezner on what explains Trump’s rejection of all of his campaign pledges. Does Donald Trump have any core principles? For Trump, a steep learning curve leads to policy reversals. Jeffrey Frank on the non-transformation of Donald J. Trump.
