Sarah Kendzior doesn't think much of Trump's economic populist message, and considers it nothing more than a smokescreen to help get him elected. The real purpose of this White House and Trump's presidency is to fundamentally restore white nationalist power, which Steve Bannon and others feel has been eroded over the last half century or so in the United States.
Kendzior expanded on three points she only alluded to in her appearance on AMJoy this morning in this article for Fast Company, where she postulates that Bannon may be a bigger asset to Trump outside the White House now than inside.
First, the White House remains the White Supremacist House: neo-nazi sympathizers Stephen Miller and Seb Gorka are still employed alongside civil rights antagonist Jeff Sessions and, of course, Trump himself. The Trump administration’s policies–anti-black, anti-Muslim, and anti-voter rights–remain unchanged. Stop the presses when Trump throws them all out.
Second, Bannon seems to have choreographed his departure in a way that benefits the broader white supremacist movement he and Trump support. In an interview with the liberal American Prospect–an interview which Bannon, a media professional, unconvincingly claimed he was unaware was recorded–Bannon sold himself as an “economic nationalist” and an opponent of “identity politics“. This move seems aimed at recasting himself as a more moderate, anti-Democrat populist in order to expand his own base and Trump’s, at a time when both are being scrutinized for their Nazi ties and bigoted views.
Third, Bannon may be just as useful for Trump outside the White House as he was within it–perhaps more so. Trump has, in the past, benefitted from staff who depart and go on to work as TV propagandists and political backers on Trump’s behalf. Bannon may well serve a similar role while furthering his own ideological goals. Bannon presumably leaves with inside knowledge about the government and White House personnel, which he could use to target staffers he allegedly dislikes–like John Kelly and James Mattis–unencumbered from his perch at Breitbart. Watch, carefully, what Breitbart publishes in the coming months.
Some intriguing and not far-fetched ideas here, the first of which that Bannon choreographed his own departure, having weighed the pros and cons of remaining in the White House, decided he could be more effective outside now than inside. That seems entirely plausible.
Her other and darker theory that the ultimate goal of this White House is one of White Nationalism would seem entirely unreasonable if not for the actions and words of the current occupant of the Oval Office himself. With sober reflection, taking into account everything Donald Trump has said or done since running for president, no one should believe that this is an outlandish or preposterous idea. At. All.
Kendzior has been talking and writing about the danger of Trump for at least a year now, including her piece from August 2016 in Foreign Policy magazine, 'Welcome to Donald Trump's America', where she highlighted the rise of the alt-right and their embrace of Trump.
