Reasons to be concerned about Mr. Trump’s announced “chief strategist and senior counselor”

Last updated on: November 14, 2016 at 10:51 pm

November 14, 2016 by Dan Peterson

The late Andrew Breitbart — Gage Skidmore took this photo of Andrew Breitbart slightly more than a year before Breitbart’s sudden and untimely death in March 2012. The American conservative movement felt his loss very deeply then, and has, over the past year or so, had cause to regret it yet again. (Wikimedia Commons)

I’m not a major fan of Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman who will become President-elect Donald J. Trump’s White House chief of staff come January. I think he could and should have done more to prevent the Trumpist take over of my former party. But he’s a pretty stable and experienced political hand who will probably offer up very few disquieting surprises.

Not so the man who, newly announced as Mr. Trump’s soon-to-be “chief strategist and senior counselor,” is apparently intended to be co-equal in the Trump administration with Mr. Priebus:

“Steve Bannon Is Not a Nazi—But Let’s Be Honest about What He Represents”

“White nationalists see advocate in Steve Bannon who will hold Trump to his campaign promises”

And here’s a piece written before the election by the conservative attorney and columnist Ben Shapiro, who used to work with Steve Bannon at Breitbart and who is well acquainted with him:

“I Know Trump’s New Campaign Chairman, Steve Bannon. Here’s What You Need To Know.”