Stephen Bannon, Reince Priebus Picks A Sign Of A Conflicted Donald Trump Transition

Donald Trump, President-Elect of the United States, has chosen Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus and former Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen Bannon to be his chief advisers in a controversial move. Priebus will fill the role of White House Chief of Staff and Bannon will be a chief strategist, in a role that would be similar to that of Karl Rove under President George Walker Bush. Problematically, these choices seem to be at odds with each other.

Reince Priebus, on one hand, is seen by many in the right-wing base of Donald Trump to be part of the Washington establishment, and Trump won the election largely on the perception that he was an anti-establishment candidate. Priebus, who won the position of Republican National Committee Chairman in 2011, is seen by many to be a core part of mainstream Republican Party politics, and as someone who will capitulate to mainstream ideals. He is, for example, a key ally of fellow Wisconsin GOP figure and current Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, who long refused to endorse Mr. Trump during the campaign. CNN reports that even as late as this past Sunday in an appearance on Meet The Press, Speaker Ryan has signaled that he opposes some of the core campaign promises made by Mr. Trump, in this case his stance on mass deportation.

“I think we should put people’s minds at ease: That is not what our focus is. That is not what we’re focused on. We’re focused on securing the border. We think that’s first and foremost, before we get into any other immigration issue, we’ve got to know who’s coming and going into the country — we’ve got to secure the border,” Speaker Ryan said.

Reince Priebus being is also a longtime friend of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, another figure largely seen as caring more about corporate power than in his core constituency, and who was forced to face and defeat a recall election in his home state.

The appointment of Priebus to White House Chief of Staff, taken alone, could be seen as a signal that the future administration of Donald Trump will be far more moderate than initially expected by many of his supporters. However, another senior advisory position that was recently announced throws that analysis into question, and indeed, makes one question what the overall goal of the administration will be.

Stephen Bannon, who will enjoy a position with similar access to and perhaps an influence on the future President Trump as Priebus in his capacity as a chief strategist, is a highly controversial figure and not at all an establishment GOP figure. Bannon stepped down as executive chairman of Breitbart News to advise the Trump campaign. Breitbart News, founded in 2007 and widely seen as a conservative news outlet, and indeed Bannon himself, are tied to the “alt-right” political movement, which is often critical of mainstream conservative politics and rallied behind the nationalist and populist rhetoric of Donald Trump during the campaign.

Many, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, have argued that Stephen Bannon will bring a dangerous level of nationalism into mainstream political discourse, and have argued for his removal.

“Stephen Bannon was the main driver behind Breitbart becoming a white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill,” the Law Center said in a statement. “Trump should rescind this hire. In his victory speech, Trump said he intended to be president for ‘all Americans.’ Bannon should go.”

The Washington Post also reports that Stephen Bannon has been accused of domestic violence and anti-Semitism by his ex-wife, Mary Louise Piccard.

These two competing forces, the establishment Reince Priebus and the anti-establishment and controversial Stephen Bannon, call into question what exactly a Trump Presidency will look like. It seems as if Trump is mostly choosing loyalists to serve in his administration, prizing that loyalty over ideology. Both Priebus and Bannon have supported Donald Trump throughout the campaign. The uncertainty, however, has led many to be uneasy with the transition process.