In his latest Fox News interview, Donald Trump sat down with Lara Trump, his own daughter-in-law, and reflected on one of the key differences between his first and second terms. “We have really good people this time, and they get along with each other,” the president said, adding, “They love each other … and it’s smoother. I think it’s smoother.”
Perhaps the Republican was confusing his team for some other administration — because there’s all kinds of evidence that contradicts the idea that prominent members of his team “get along with each other” and “love each other.” NBC News reported:
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering leaving his job after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over his frustration with how the Justice Department has handled the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions that Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have had with Bondi.
“Bongino is out of control furious,” the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. “This destroyed his career. He’s threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she’s fired.”
I won’t pretend to know what might happen next in this saga, though the president appeared to throw his support behind Bondi over the weekend — a day after Bongino failed to report to work amid speculation about his whereabouts — suggesting a dramatic shake-up at the attorney general’s office is not imminent.
But let’s not miss the forest for the trees: The conflicts among Trump administration officials are intensifying and working their way to the public.
In addition to the “heated confrontation” between Bondi and Bongino, there are also reported tensions between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Richard Grenell, the White House envoy for special missions. Those reports come on the heels of tensions between Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
This schism comes on the heels of Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent getting into a heated shouting match at the White House. Meanwhile, Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have been at odds with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro; and Musk, during his tenure, also clashed with Navarro, Duffy and Rubio.
It led The Associated Press to recently report, “The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.”
That AP article was published in April. There’s reason to believe things are worse now. As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view just six months after Inauguration Day. In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team, and establish a clear vision for his or her administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse. There’s an old expression: A fish rots from the head down. I mention this because these kinds of failures of leadership have a tendency to spread — and amid reports of tumultuous infighting at other federal agencies, there’s reason to believe it’s already spreading. This report updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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