After a historic election season, President-elect Donald Trump has some serious work to do and serious tasks to overcome, including appointing his new cabinet.
This past week, Trump chose Steve Bannon to become the new chief White House strategist and senior counselor, and I must say that this choice is a disaster for the presidency.
Steve Bannon is currently the executive chairman of the Breitbart News Network, but honestly, I would be doing this “news network” a huge favor by calling it one.
Steve Bannon has also given praise to Breitbart, saying that it is “the platform for the alt-right,” a group of conservatives who reject multiculturalism and political correctness. Some of the headlines on this highly opinionated website are highly offensive to many Americans, such as “Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage.”
If that is not offensive enough for you, try the article headlined “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.”
Under Steve Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart has continually spewed anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim rhetoric, and if Bannon’s mindset does not change immediately, Trump’s presidency and cabinet will go down as one of the worst in recent history.
Bannon has support from people with extreme views.
For example, the infamous David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, has praised Trump’s decision on Bannon, telling CNN that “It’s good to see that he’s sticking to the issues and the ideas that he proposed as a candidate.”
What issues are those?
The highly unconstitutional temporary Muslim ban?
Or maybe the punishment for women who have had abortions?
President-elect Trump, I am rooting for your success, but your choice with Bannon is making it difficult for me and a lot of Americans to be optimistic.
Cole Holland is a sophomore public policy leadership major from Fulton.
