Trump ill-served by his son-in-law

Steve Bannon has come out fighting. In an interview with Vanity Fair he has blamed Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, for everything that has gone wrong so far. I don't know if that is right or wrong, but it always struck me as odd that Trump put so much faith in his son-in-law. What had JK done in his career to merit sending him off as a special envoy to the Middle East and to cosy up to Saudi Arabia? Judging by the disaster over the Jerusalem decision, his presence in the region clearly failed to lay the ground for the Trump announcement. So perhaps Bannon is right, just because JK is the president's son-in-law it does not mean he is invested with some extraordinary powers or diplomatic skills. I'm sure he is a nice guy but he's no Kissinger. I suspect what will happen in 2018 is that Jared Kushner will slip into the background and Bannon, out of the White House but definitely IN favour, will be a force to reckon with, someone increasingly trusted by Trump. This will drive poor General John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff, mad and by the end of the year he will resign. James Mattis, too, a stalwart of the Trump administration and an eminently wise four star Marine, will also get frustrated by the Bannon influence and could present an ultimatum to the president. "If you keep with Bannon, I'm off to spend the rest of my days with my family." Mattis won't want to leave because he is an honourable man. He will want to finish the job properly. But if/when Bannon tells Trump to for God's sake bomb North Korea and get it over and done with, Mattis will despair and offer his resignation. It may not happen but 2018 is going to be Steve Bannon's year. Mark my words.