'At each other's throats': Trump insiders said to be 'bickering' over international allies
Days before Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term, there is trouble brewing behind the scenes as members of his inner circle battle each other over which European leaders would make the most reliable overseas ally.
According to a report from Politico's Jamie Detmer, there is a case to be made that close advisors to Trump are already "eating their own" before he even takes the oath of office which could lead to chaos when it comes to international relations.
As the report notes, longtime Trump whisperer Steve Bannon and the newly signed-up Elon Musk are butting heads as the billionaire uses his X platform to meddle in European politics in much the same way he helped boost Trump back into the White House.
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As Detmer explained, "United States President-elect Donald Trump has yet to be sworn in, but his volatile coalition of would-be revolutionaries and radical right-wing disruptors are squabbling over issues big and small. And now, they’re at each other’s throats over who among Europe’s populists are worthy of support and who’s beyond the pale."
Case in point, Detmer noted, was Bannon's comments about his growing rivalry with Musk for Trump's ear.
"Not all of Trump’s allies see eye to eye," he wrote before reporting, "Steve Bannon, a White House adviser in Trump’s former administration and a key MAGA ideologist, let rip over the weekend, telling online magazine Semafor that he and Musk disagree on 'just about everything.' Accusing the billionaire of being in the pocket of China for self-dealing business reasons, Bannon said: 'Elon Musk — he can’t take a punch. And he’s certainly got a glass jaw.'"
Although Bannon later attempted to soften his attack, Detmer wrote it was just a taste of the "bickering" to come among president's allies who have no qualms about blurting out what they believe to be true.
"This never-ending cycle of meddling, needling and escalating disputes, the side that disruptor-in-chief Trump ends up coming down on won’t just impact the performance and trajectory of his own administration, it will also have consequences for the wider world — including Europe," the report notes before adding that it will also lead to international instability.
"The ongoing fights, brusque schisms and equally surprising reconciliations will thus complicate life for Europe’s populist parties, possibly shaping their fortunes at home. And they’ll have to grow accustomed to being elevated one moment, only for Trump to unceremoniously withdraw his imprimatur the next," Detrmer predicted.
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