The statement from the White House makes little attempt to disguise what happened. ‘White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve’s last day. We are grateful for his service and wish him the best.’ This is pretty much the same form of words used when Anthony Scaramucci was fired by Kelly. Four senior White House aides have now gone in the last five weeks. So it seems that Kelly, a former US general brought in by Trump a few weeks ago, is serious about fixing this dysfunctional White House – and, perhaps more strikingly, Trump seems serious about letting him do so.
The clincher seems to be a new alliance between Kelly and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who has wanted Bannon fired for some time now. It’s about strategy, as well as personality: Kushner wants to moderate Trump’s message to win over critics whereas Bannon’s style is to bait and enrage critics and delight the base. Kelly says
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