Steve Bannon seems to be attacking Donald Trump Jr.! That doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is: Why? What could be Bannon’s motives? What would the victory be for him? How would he recognize his goals were achieved? The reason has to be just to hurt President Trump.
Steve Bannon served in the military as an officer, has had a brilliant career since and has always shown honor and great ability. In full disclosure, I spoke to him during the campaign, and he arranged for my wife and me to attend the second presidential debate, in St. Louis. My impression of Steve Bannon is that he is brilliant and fearless.
So why would he believe Trump Jr. acted treasonously and not speak out at the time? Why would he serve in the administration with an unethical president and staff? Why would it only bother him after he is fired and right before this book, “Fire and Fury,” comes out?
Assuming Bannon has been quoted accurately, it seems to me that he was upset Trump Jr. did not take his advice on not attending a meeting in Trump Tower. The meeting may or may not have been wise, but that is not what Steve Bannon is charging. He claims the meeting was unpatriotic and treasonous.
What was so treasonous and how was it unpatriotic? The meeting was legal, and no laws were broken. Every campaign has opposition research, and this was not unusual. If Bannon is going to charge treason, then why hasn’t he produced evidence of this crime? If he has evidence of treason, would it be treasonous to withhold it from the American people for months? If Bannon is a patriot, why would he keep silent as a treasonous administration took office? This would make him a co-conspirator of these acts. Why didn’t it bother him until after he was fired almost a year and a half later?
This reminded me of the #MeToo accusations from women against powerful men. They took the job, enjoyed the limelight and then accused the powerful man of unprovable offenses. Did someone abuse Steve Bannon? I have great admiration for the brilliance of Bannon, but we all have egos. Maybe he did not get the attention he desired, and perhaps did not appreciate how he was fired.
As powerful and influential as Bannon is, he cannot successfully take on the president. I have heard commentators on television trying to claim that Bannon is popular with Trump’s base. No, Bannon’s popularity with the Trump base is based on how well he supports Trump. Trump’s base belongs to Trump. Bannon may find himself diminished not just with Trump’s base but his own base as well.
Bannon may become the stepchild of the Never Trumpers. That dwindling, delusional, magical-thinking, old guard of the Republican Party could embrace him, and he could become the new lecturer for their chicken circuit banquets.
The power and influence of Breitbart could also be diminished as folks choose sides. If Steve Bannon’s goal was to hurt Trump, he may only succeed in hurting Breitbart and feeding the delusions of the left. I cannot imagine why this brilliant military officer would be so eager to give aid and comfort to the enemy. I hope the fine writers and editors of Breitbart will not suffer so their CEO could settle a personal score.
The fight he has chosen with President Trump is personal for Bannon, but it will affect each one of us personally. It will continue to feed the nonsense about Trump and weaken those supporters on the fence. It’s personal because Trump’s agenda will be slightly harmed by the accusations.
The American people have moved on from the “Russia, Russia” hype. We are more interested in the results of President Trump’s first year. We have seen his campaign promises kept, and that feeds his base and even his detractors. We see our investments, oil and coal industry rebounding; trade is getting fair; the United Nations is being tamed; and now ISIS really is just a JV team. Success trumps the noise, and the American people are seeing success. The more America wins the more we realize what a great choice President Trump has been.
The president’s attorneys have begun legal actions to stop the publication of “Fire and Fury,” by Michael Wolff. In a statement released, one of the reasons they demand the book be retracted is a claim that even the book’s introduction admits some statements are false. As we approach the deadline for this column, I could not locate a copy of the introduction to verify that – but that would be a very interesting point.
The Trump agenda is not the same as the agenda of the RINOs, Democrats, lobbyists, donors or the media. His agenda belongs to the American people. That’s his power, and that is why Bannon’s attacks will have little success. He may get a great advance on future a book, and liberals will purchase it. But the base he believes he has will not go near him. Instead of preaching to the choir, he will find himself preaching to the heathens.
