Donald Trump is now taking hourly swipes at his attorney general, who also happened to be the very first sitting U.S. senator to lend a full-throated endorsement to his 2016 candidacy. So much for loyalty—in Trump’s latest interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump went ahead and trashed that endorsement as a self-serving opportunity for Sessions to ride the coattails of his own popularity.
“When they say he endorsed me, I went to Alabama,” Mr. Trump said on Tuesday , recalling the endorsement. “I had 40,000 people. He was a senator from Alabama. I won the state by a lot, massive numbers. A lot of the states I won by massive numbers. But he was a senator, he looks at 40,000 people and he probably says, ’What do I have to lose?’ And he endorsed me. So it’s not like a great loyal thing about the endorsement. But I’m very disappointed in Jeff Sessions.”
It's not like a great loyal thing—yeah, just rub his nose in it, Trumpy! You didn't need that guy. You did it all—entirely on your own.
Within about an hour of that interview being posted, Trump stood in the Rose Garden and took another swipe at Sessions during a press conference aired on MSNBC.
“I want the attorney general to be much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like rarely have they ever leaked before, at a very important level," Trump said, flaunting his knack for nonspecific hyperbole. "I told you before I'm very disappointed with the attorney general, but we will see what happens. Time will tell. Time will tell."
Asked why he's leaving Sessions to "twist in the wind rather than just making the call for him," Trump replied:
"Well, I don't think I am doing that."
Yes, you are, Trump. Don't fool yourself—you just don't have the guts to do it, do you?
And here's why: Breitbart News is siding with Sessions in this family feud.
That's right, before Trump was Breitbart's guy, Sessions was Breitbart's guy. Before Trump was even a twinkle in Steve Bannon's eye, Bannon was trying to convince Sessions to run for president.
If Sessions leaves, Bannon's hotline to the Justice Department on all things related to clamping down on immigration and promoting racism will go away. And at the White House, Bannon’s power center appears to have been jolted by Trump's new favorite hire, Anthony Scaramucci.
If Trump had any guts whatsoever, he would fire Sessions rather than airing his grievances in every possible public venue. But he hasn’t—because Trump is just too weak to stare Sessions in the eye and say it himself. And god forbid he should lose the backing of Breitbart.