So anyway, you know that immigration order which was most definitely “not a Muslim ban… not about religion” (even though it prioritized Christian refugees)? The one that was about “extreme vetting” and “bad dudes” (even though it banned 3 month old infants)?
Well it turns out that behind closed doors, Bannon and Miller are telling White House personnel it’s really about Muslims and about demographics. And by “demographics” I mean their racist fears about non-white, non-Christian immigrants...
U.S. demographics have been changing rapidly — and undesirably in the eyes of top Trump aides, including his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, and domestic policy advisor Stephen Miller. Inside the West Wing, the two men have pushed an ominous view of refugee and immigration flows, telling other policymakers that if large numbers of Muslims are allowed to enter the U.S., parts of American cities will begin to replicate marginalized immigrant neighborhoods in France, Germany and Belgium that have been home to plotters of terrorist attacks in recent years, according to a White House aide familiar with the discussions. — LA Times
Greg Sargent at WaPo has been following this story too:
As I have reported, the evidence is mounting that Bannon and Miller view the ban as part of a much broader, long-term demographic-reshaping project. Miller let slip in a recent interview that the ban isn’t just about national security, but also about protecting U.S. workers from foreign competition. — Washington Post
For those who desperately want to believe the president has been seduced by the terrible influence of Bannon and isn’t a racist, here’s Trump speaking at CPAC back in 2013 talking about the need to let in more (White) immigrants:
"Now I say to myself, why aren't we letting people in from Europe?" Trump continued. "Nobody wants to say it, but I have many friends from Europe, they want to come in." — Talking Points Memo
The Trump/Bannon alliance is really about two people who want to Make America White Again finding each other. It isn’t a persuasive Bannon turning a reluctant Trump into a racist.
And since we’re talking about Russia this week, I should point out that one of the reasons Bannon/Miller have such an affinity for Putin is that they see him as an ally in their “Christian” crusade against Muslim infidels. Here’s Bannon speaking at the Vatican:
You know, Putin’s been quite an interesting character. He’s also very, very, very intelligent. I can see this in the United States where he’s playing very strongly to social conservatives about his message about more traditional values, so I think it’s something that we have to be very much on guard of. Because at the end of the day, I think that Putin and his cronies are really a kleptocracy, that are really an imperialist power that want to expand. However, I really believe that in this current environment, where you’re facing a potential new caliphate that is very aggressive that is really a situation — I’m not saying we can put it on a back burner — but I think we have to deal with first things first. — Buzzfeed
PS. I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself. This is an important topic, which is why I’m covering this subject matter again despite having discussed it before: here, here, here and here.
— @subirgrewal