This is from the New Yorker piece on Bannon I noted/linked up above.
Quote:Another reason not to despair is Trump himself. During his first week in office, he was the person who did most to undermine his credibility and authority. By repeatedly saying things that weren’t true, or even nearly true—that his Inauguration drew the biggest audience ever; that he would have won the popular vote but for enormous voter fraud—he invited criticism and ridicule, which duly poured down upon him. Perhaps his ravings didn’t do him much damage among his core supporters: they tend to cheer anything he says. But the impetuous behavior unnerved Republicans on Capitol Hill, some of Trump’s business supporters, and, judging by the steady stream of leaks to reporters, even some of his own staff and appointees. On Friday, Brian Beutler, of The New Republic, pointed out that, in the past few days, the Times, the Washington Post, and Politico have all published stories “sourced to the White House—portraying Trump as a fragile, erratic, television-obsessed snowflake.”
I'd read that coverage but didn't note it here at the time because the "insider" comments were anonymous. Of course, that's the only way such comments and reporting would and do happen - it's a necessary aspect of political reporting, particularly at this level and with an administration so concerned with image. But it was part of what got me thinking about what I see as a growing impetus for the GOP establishment to conclude they'll have to find some way to get rid of Trump more quickly than they might otherwise have hoped.
