Jul 22, 2017

Trump finds a new favorite member among divided WH

Mike Allen, author of AM

Laurent Gillieron / Keystone via AP

The day's stunning dominoes ("Abrupt chain reaction for Trump" is the five-column head in the WashPost):

Trump, backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, settles on "Mooch" to head comms, largely because he likes the financier's feistiness defending POTUS on cable.

  • Trump doesn't consult his senior aides. They flip out, both because of personal grievances with Mooch, and their belief that heading White House comms requires Washington skills and experience. Some staff learns about the move when Axios' Jonathan Swan pops the story Thursday night.
  • In a 10 a.m. meeting, chief of staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon and press secretary Sean Spicer object vehemently. Trump ignores them.
  • Spicer quits ("the last straw," a source close to Spicer told me), drawing applause when he graciously tells his staff he wants Scaramucci to have a clean slate.
  • Scaramucci goes to the podium in the White House briefing room and announces that Sarah Huckabee Sanders (daughter of Mike Huckabee), who has been Spicer's top deputy, will be press secretary.
  • Asked by ABC's Jon Karl about the time on Fox Business in 2015 that he called Trump "another hack politician," Scaramucci parries: "[H]e brings it up every 15 seconds, OK? (LAUGHTER) ... So, Mr. President, if you're listening, I personally apologize for the 50th time for saying that."

Phew. As Spicer told Fox's Sean Hannity last night (not as a quip, but as part of an argument about working tirelessly to advance Trump's agenda): "We had a very successful Made in America week this week, garnering over millions of impressions."

Some atmospherics from all-terrain Jonathan Swan:

  • Trump thought Mooch killed it. He was pumped about it.
  • Very bipolar West Wing. Source tells me Reince's people seemed "kind of freaked" about what happened. And certainly in the dark.
  • They were trying to spin the new narrative that Reince and Anthony are BFFs and that Reince was "100%" supportive of Trump making Mooch comms director. The President would laugh if you told him that.
  • Jared, Ivanka and Hope Hicks were all pushing for Mooch and very happy with it.
  • Bannon went in hard, lost badly but seemed to have moved on very quickly. Doesn't want to dwell on it.
  • What we're watching: Will Mooch add to the team, and possibly some unexpected names from outside of politics?

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