Trump's White House is just as dysfunctional as everyone thought it would be

Bannon's ouster, Kusher's rise, and the utter mess of Trump's White House

Trump's messy house.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Within days of Donald Trump taking office as our 45th president, political junkies began speculating about when the first dramatic White House shakeup would take place. Surely with this much incompetence, backstabbing, leaking to the media, and general chaos, heads would have to roll — and soon.

Other than erstwhile National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was elbowed out in a matter of weeks, the dramatic shake-up hasn't really happened yet. Still, the situation hardly seems tenable, with at least three centers of power: the hapless Reince Priebus, the sinister Stephen Bannon, and the apparently extraordinary Jared Kushner.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.