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| In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, photo, President-elect Donald Trump, left, stands with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus during an election night rally in New York. Trump on Sunday named Priebus as his White House chief of staff |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump named Republican Party chief
Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and conservative media
owner Stephen Bannon as his top presidential strategist, two men who
represent opposite ends of the unsettled GOP.
In
bringing Priebus and Bannon into the White House, Trump is making
overtures to both traditional Republican circles and the party's
anti-establishment wing, which helped fuel the businessman's political
rise.
Priebus has deep ties to GOP
congressional leaders, particularly House Speaker Paul Ryan. Bannon
previously ran the Breitbart website, which was fiercely critical of
Republican leadership, including Ryan.
Bannon
was notably given top billing in the press release announcing the
appointments, a curious arrangement giving that White House chief of
staff is typically considered the most powerful West Wing job.
Under
Bannon's tenure, the Brietbart site pushed a nationalist,
anti-establishment agenda and became one of the leading outlets of the
so-called alt-right - a movement often associated with white supremacy
and a defense of "Western values."
Neither
Priebus nor Bannon bring significant policy experience to their new
White House roles. Chiefs of staff in particular play a significant role
in policy making, serving as a liaison to Cabinet agencies and deciding
what information makes it to the president's desk. They're often one of
the last people in the room with the
president as major decisions are
made.
Together with Vice President-elect Mike
Pence, the triumvirate will lead Trump's transition to the White House
and help guide his presidency, Trump said in a statement.
"I
am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading
our country," Trump said. He called Priebus and Bannon "highly
qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to
a historic victory.
Priebus called the appointment "an honor" and predicted the billionaire "will be a great president for all Americans."
The
appointments came after a day in which Trump's tough-talking plan to
rein in illegal immigration showed signs Sunday of cracking, with the
president-elect backing off his vow to build a solid wall along the
southern U.S. border and Ryan rejecting any "deportation force"
targeting people living in the country illegally.
After
Trump told CBS' "60 Minutes" that his border wall might look more like a
fence in spots, the combative billionaire took to Twitter to settle
some scores.
During a four-hour spree, Trump
savaged the New York Times and gloated about the GOP stalwarts lining up
to congratulate him, bragging that staunch critics and GOP rivals John
Kasich, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush had sent attaboys. Former presidents
George W. and George H.W. Bush also had sent their "best wishes on the
win. Very nice!" The New York Times, Trump wrote to his 14 million
followers, is "dishonest" and "highly inaccurate."
As Trump revenge-tweeted, threats flew between power brokers, and protests across the country continued.
The
president-elect retreated from the campaign promise that had inspired
his supporters to chant "Build the wall!" at Trump's massive campaign
rallies.
Would he accept a fence in some spots
on the border? In an interview to be aired Sunday, Trump told "60
Minutes": "For certain areas, I would, but certain areas, a wall is more
appropriate. There could be some fencing."
Excerpts of the interview were released in advance.
Trump
also had vowed to immediately deport all 11 million people living in
the country illegally. But in the interview, he said he's focusing first
on ousting or incarcerating 2 million to 3 million "that are criminals
and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers." Trump emphasized
that securing the border is his very first immigration priority.
On
that, Ryan agreed. But on CNN's "State of the Union," Ryan rejected the
kind of "mass deportations" Trump had championed during the campaign.
"We are not planning on erecting a deportation force," Ryan said.
More
tension emerged Sunday when Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway,
said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid should be careful in a "legal
sense" about characterizing Trump as a sexual predator. When asked
whether Trump was threatening to sue Reid, Conway said no.
But
Adam Jentleson, Reid's deputy chief of staff, said Trump is "hiding
behind his Twitter account and sending his staff on TV to threaten his
critics."
