H.R. McMaster Out As Trump’s National Security Adviser: Report

It never ends.

Although most of the recent staff shakeups in the Trump administration were expected, it’s still astonishing to watch this play out.

Just days after firing Rex Tillerson on Twitter, Trump has reportedly decided to cut H.R. McMaster loose.

According to the Washington Post, which broke the story on Thursday evening, Trump is feeling brave after what he views as a string of recent “successes.” To wit:

For all of the evident disorder, Trump feels emboldened, advisers said – buoyed by what he views as triumphant decisions last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum and to agree to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

You’re reminded that back in November, multiple reports suggested that McMaster once called Trump an “idiot” with “the intelligence of a kindergartner” at a dinner with Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

Despite Trump’s braggadocious demeanor, the things he’s said in public and in private over the past week seem to suggest he’s yet again losing his grip on reality. WaPo underscores that on Thursday evening as follows:

The mood inside the White House in recent days has verged on mania, as Trump increasingly keeps his own counsel and senior aides struggle to determine the gradations between rumor and truth. At times, they say, they are anxious and nervous, wondering what each new headline may mean for them personally.

As for McMaster, WaPo says Trump is “willing to take time executing the move because he wants to ensure both that the three-star Army general is not humiliated and that there is a strong successor lined up.” That’s according to five sources close to the situation.

Ironically, WaPo’s reporting may have just upended those plans. Trump will have to either deny this definitively or else go ahead and move forward with it.

Earlier this month, several outlets reported that the White House was planning on replacing the general in the coming weeks.

Needless to say, this won’t do anything to ease concerns that the administration is careening into chaos at a critical time for American foreign policy and national security.

WaPo warns that more changes are likely in the offing.

Now it’s time for Trump to inform the General that his services are no longer needed – on Twitter, we suppose.

Or maybe not, because no sooner had we wrapped this up than the White House tried to walk it back, with one administration official swearing that “President Trump hasn’t made a final decision on removing National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.”

Again, your best bet is probably to stay tuned to Twitter for the final word.

In the meantime…

https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/974459079652528128