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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJohn Kelly risks a Steve Bannon moment
Jonathan Swan 1 hour ago
Late last night, a few hours after Fox News aired Bret Baiers interview with John Kelly, a source close to the president told me Trump would explode when he saw what his chief of staff said. The source who has spent a lot of time with Trump predicted the president would hate the interview because Kelly came off as the mature professional who patiently educated an uninformed Trump, and helped him see the light and evolve on The Wall.
Sure enough, a few hours later Trump tweets his displeasure (without naming Kelly): "The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water..."
Why it matters: This is one of the first public signs weve seen of tension between Trump and his chief of staff. Last night, Kelly undercut Trumps self-perception as the most brilliant man on earth, and instant master of all subjects. The notion of evolution would be inherently offensive to him.
Heres what the prescient source told me:
Kelly has finally ventured into Steve Bannon territory when it comes to trying to create the perception that hes the great manipulator, saving the country from Trumps ignorance. The difference is, Steve tried to develop that reputation in off-the-record conversations with reporters. Kelly did it openly on the countrys most-watched cable network. Its the subtle difference between hubris and arrogance.
What Kelly said that crossed Trump:
more
https://www.axios.com/john-kelly-risks-steve-bannon-moment-2364f4a5-dcae-4158-85be-fd19607dd197.html
dchill
(38,532 posts)Get with it!
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)Since that pretty much covers the entire border zone, there is never going to be a wall.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)And the lapdog followers went wild? Maybe i'm imagining that, but i sure remember it that way.
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)But by the time it gets built, it's just going to be a picket fence between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)Then the frightened masses will get their glorious wall after all.
shanny
(6,709 posts)imo Kelly and Stephen Miller need to go, asap. anybody thinking of him as one of the adults or in any way worthy of respect is sorely mistaken.
awesomerwb1
(4,268 posts)He's an enabler. He's in sync with Miller and the rest of the nuts. Him and Dump are on the same page. Kelly was simply trying to appease the lawmakers he had met with before in order to help get a deal done to avoid shutdown.
Kelly is one of them. Don't fall for his BS.