One clue came earlier last week in a memo from Rich Higgins, who had been director for strategic planning in Trump's National Security Council.
Entitled "POTUS & Political Warfare," Higgins wrote the seven-page document in May, which was recently leaked to Foreign Policy Magazine.
In it Higgins charges that a cabal of leftist "deep state" government workers, "globalists," bankers, adherents to Islamic fundamentalism and establishment Republicans want to impose cultural Marxism in the United States. "Recognizing in candidate Trump an existential threat to cultural Marxist memes that dominate the prevailing cultural narrative, those that benefit recognize the threat he poses and seek his destruction."
There you have it. Trump's goal has never been to promote guns or white supremacy or to fuel attacks on the press and the left. These may be means, but the goal has been to build and fortify his power. And keep him in power even if it's found that he colluded with Russia to get power.
Trump and his consigliere Steve Bannon have been quietly encouraging a civil war between Trump's base of support -- mostly white and worried -- and everyone who's not.
It's built on economic stresses and racial resentments. It's fueled by paranoia. And it's conveyed by Trump's winks and nods haters, and his deafening silence in the face of their violence.
A smaller version of the civil war extends even into the White House, where Bannon and his proteges are doing battle with leveler heads.
National security advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster fired Higgins. Reportedly, Trump was furious at the firing.
McMaster was quick to term the Charlottesville violence "terrorism." Ivanka Trump denounced "racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis." Reportedly, chief of staff John Kelly pushed Trump to condemn the haters who descended on Charlottesville.
Let's hope the leveler heads win the civil war in the White House. Let's pray the leveler heads in our society prevent the civil war Trump and Bannon want to instigate in America.
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