Trump faces criticism over appointing racist in White House

LAHORE: Uneasy times continue to haunt the American President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration in January 2017, as he has now drawn a sharp rebuke from his country’s political commentators for appointing his presidential campaign’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Bannon, as his chief strategist at the White House.

These anti-Trump political commentators see in Bannon a controversial figure too closely associated with the movement aimed at turning the white nationalists against the immigrants and the non-white community living in the United States.

The Washington Post states: “Bannon, who was the executive chairman of Breitbart News before joining the Trump campaign in August, will serve as chief strategist and senior counselor for Trump; that will give Bannon authority over the strategic direction of the White House. Bannon will assume a similar role to that of Karl Rove during George W Bush’s administration and recently by longtime strategist John Podesta under President Barack Obama. He and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who will become White House chief of staff, will be among Trump’s top advisers.”

The American newspaper further says: “The announcement has produced intense hand-wringing in Washington, DC, and sharp denunciations from political observers and strategists critical of Breitbart News’ close association with the alt-right, a fringe conservative movement saturated with racially insensitive rhetoric and elements of outright white nationalism. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate-watch group, has accused Breitbart of explicitly embracing ethno-nationalism. After Bannon’s elevation was announced, the law center tweeted several controversial stories written by Breitbart under Bannon’s control, including a piece published two weeks after the mass killing at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last year.”

This is what the Southern Poverty Law Centre had recently written on its Twitter account about this controversial appointment: “Stephen Bannon was the main driver behind Breitbart becoming a white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill.”

The Washington Post has added: “Trump’s critics, across the political spectrum, immediately blasted the move on social media. Bannon’s personal history also has been mired in controversy. Shortly after he joined the Trump campaign, court documents revealed that his ex-wife, Mary Louise Piccard, had accused Bannon of domestic violence and anti-Semitic language in 2007. (The documents were obtained and first reported by the New York Daily News).”Bannon has denied the accusations though.