Trump Announces Chief Of Staff, And White House Strategist

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Nov, 2016 ) : US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday tapped Reince Priebus " the Republican Party chairman who helped engineer his stunning presidential victory last week" as his White House chief of staff.

Trump also considered campaign Chief Executive Officer Stephen Bannon for the slot, but announced that the former head of Breitbart news, an ultra-conservative website, would serve chief strategist and senior counselor for the administration that takes office in little more than two months.

"I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country," Trump said in a statement. "Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory.

Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again." In thanking Trump for the appointment, Priebus said he would strive to "create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism." Bannon, who joined Trump's team in August, said, "We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory.

We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda." In selecting Priebus, Trump passed over Bannon.

But the dual appointments " with Bannon given top billing in the official announcement" instantly created rival centers of power in the Trump White House.

Analysts said Bannon's selection demonstrated the power of grass-roots activists who backed Trump's candidacy. Some of them have long traded in the conspiracy theories and sometimes racist messages of Breitbart News.

The site has accused President Barack Obama of "importing more hating Muslims"; compared Planned Parenthood's work to the Holocaust; called the conservative commentator Bill Kristol a "renegade Jew"; and advised female victims of online harassment to "just log off" and stop "screwing up the internet for men, "illustrating that point with a picture of a crying child.

The grass-roots activists may be angered by the selection of Priebus as chief of staff, viewing him as a deal maker who will be too eager to push the new president toward compromise on issues like taxes, immigration, trade, health care and the environment.

In a statement Sunday afternoon, the transition team emphasized that the two men would work "as equal partners to transform the Federal government." The arrangement appeared aimed at ensuring that both men would be required to sign off on many decisions jointly. And Bannon was assured that he reports directly to Trump, not to Priebus. APP/ia/qmr