Evan Vucci / AP
Forget the theater, the palace intrigue, the stumbles. One thing you should know on Day 40 (and soon the 40th night) of President Trump: This is Bannon-Miller presidency in the making. Think about the dark view of the state of the world, of the state of our nation, of the state of media. This is the worldview of the Stephens — chief strategist Bannon and policy guru Miller — trumpeted by Trump. We see this in ...
- A budget draft that guts the regulatory state to fund a defense build-up.
- A war without end with the media, where allies like Breitbart get Oval Office face time and frenemies like the New York Times get endlessly tagged as evil.
- A clamp-down on immigrants, visitors from Muslim countries, trade, companies exporting jobs.
- A dismissive view of the U.N. and conventional views on China.
- The slow destruction of political norms, and Washington customs and niceties.
Stephen Miller, 31, is the "Minister of Truth" on the cover of the forthcoming Bloomberg Businessweek, profiled by Josh Green. Bannon, of course, is quoted extensively.
"Economic nationalism, as defined by Trump's advisers, would seize the levers of government and the presidential bully pulpit to direct resources to helping marginalized U.S. workers. ... Miller's us-vs.-them vision for overhauling U.S. policy and his combative defense of Trump have all the elements of a compelling talk-radio rant.
"But actually enacting Trump's agenda would deliver a tremendous shock to the political system, one sure to spark massive resistance. ... For all the impact his executive actions have had on U.S. immigration policy, the bulk of his agenda is legislative—and it has slowed to a crawl, despite Republican majorities in the House and Senate. ... 'I understand his vision, his ideas,' Miller says. 'I can be an implementer.'"
Classic Miller: "I'm prepared to go on any show, anywhere, anytime, and repeat it, and say the president of the United States is correct. One. Hundred. Percent."