Ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon promised a war, and he is delivering – so far, at least.
Bannon’s alt-right news site Breitbart accused President Donald Trump of a ‘flip-flop’ on his Afghanistan policy late Monday.
Since Trump came into office, Breitbart was steadfastly in the president’s corner as he pursued his nationalist and populist policies.
But the president’s decision to send more US soldiers to Afghanistan coupled with Bannon’s departure from the White House has led to a change in the tenor of coverage at Breitbart.
‘TRUMP REVERSES COURSE, WILL SEND MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN,’ the red-lettered headline on Breitbart read.
Alt-right news site Breitbart (above) accused President Donald Trump of a ‘flip-flop’ on his Afghanistan policy late Monday
Since Trump came into office, Breitbart was steadfastly in the president’s corner as he pursued his nationalist policies. But the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan coupled with Steve Bannon’s ouster as strategist has led to a change in the tenor of coverage at Breitbart
Underneath the main headline was another headline, which read: ‘Defends flip-flop in somber speech.’
Another story on the web site bore the headline: ‘Donald Trump echoes Obama “blank check” rhetoric in Afghanistan speech.’
It is widely acknowledged that Trump hates to be compared to Obama and that the mere mention of his predecessor’s name is considered an affront.
An earlier story from writer Adam Shaw had the headline: ‘America First? With Steve Bannon out, globalists push for more war abroad.’
Trump (seen above addressing the nation from Fort Myer, Virginia, on Monday) had repeatedly argued on the campaign trail last year that the long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were a waste of lives and billions of dollars that could be better spent at home
The unflattering coverage from Breitbart appears consistent with Bannon’s reported vow to ‘go to war’ with White House aides who he believes are sabotaging the president’s promises to his voters.
According to Vanity Fair, Bannon is aiming his sights on ‘globalists’ and hawks including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and National Security Adviser HR McMaster.
McMaster is believed to have been in favor of Trump’s new Afghanistan policy.
Indeed, one Breitbart article bore the headline: ‘His McMaster’s voice: Is Trump’s Afghanistan policy different from Obama?’
Even before Trump’s prime time televised address to the nation on Monday, Breitbart led its web site with an article critical of the president.
The article quoted the founder of the private mercenary army Blackwater.
‘Erik Prince: Trump will “roll over and accept” same failed strategy on Afghanistan,’ the headline read.
Trump had repeatedly argued on the campaign trail last year that the long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were a waste of lives and billions of dollars that could be better spent at home.
An emotional visit in April to Walter Reed Hospital, where many grievously wounded soldiers are taken for treatment, only served to harden the president’s reluctance to send more troops.
The unflattering coverage from Breitbart appears consistent with Bannon’s reported vow to ‘go to war’ with White House aides who he believes are sabotaging the president’s promises to his voters. Trump and Bannon (right) are seen at the White House on January 22, 2017
Trump said he did not want to send more young Americans to battle only to see them lose limbs.
‘What are we doing there?’ he asked his national security aides, according to a senior administration official.
In a series of interviews, senior administration officials said Trump was hard to persuade but finally – and begrudgingly – agreed to allow for a modest increase in troop numbers, from the current 8,400 to more than 12,000.
He first had to be convinced that the approach he was approving was markedly different from the strategies employed by his two immediate predecessors, George W Bush and Barack Obama, since he considered them to have failed, the officials said.
In his prime-time speech to the nation on Afghanistan policy on Monday night, Trump conceded that his original instinct on taking office had been to pull out but he was then persuaded of the dangers of a hasty withdrawal.
Putting new emphasis on anti-terrorism goals, he said US troops were needed to prevent the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and again making it a breeding ground for Islamic militants.
‘This is not about nation-building again. We are killing terrorists,’ he said.