Trump adviser Steve Bannon dubs white nationalists 'clowns'

Fake news!

 
In looking at that link, I realize that he did not imply that counter-protesters lacked a permit, he stated it. I guess those are part of the "facts" he said he knew about that others who paid less attention did not.

Fake news, indeed! 

 
Ah, I did not know that.  Foolishly relied upon Trump implying that they did not!

 
Yes. And we need also to focus upon the comments of Trump regarding what happened in Charlottesville, which is where this discussion on this thread began.  Just like any individual, Trump has First Amendment rights.  He can speak his mind.  As President, however, in times such as these, he needs to speak forthrightly to reassure the American people and reinforce the values upon which this country stands. Did he do that?  What was his message?  We do not need a tutorial on First Amendment rights.  It is irrelevant, for example, that the white nationalists had a permit and the counter-protesters did not.  We do not need to be reminded that it takes 2 to tango.  There were much, much larger issues to address.  He denounced (on his second try) the neo-Nazis, KKK, and white supremacists, but he really did not denounce their message.  Instead, he denounced violence — on many sides.

Trump's 7 months of self-destruction:

President Trump, with at least two years of full Republican control of government at the national and state levels, has systematically damaged or destroyed his relationship with — well, almost every group or individual essential to success.

This has left him on an island inhabited by a shrinking band of true-believer voters, who can help win an election, but can do nothing to help him exploit the power he's wasting:

Yesterday's mass exodus of CEOs from his outside business councils was an unusually abrupt sign of the 210 days of rot and erosion in his support.
A vivid demonstration of the sudden abandonment of Trump, via CNN's Brian Stelter: Shep Smith said he couldn't get a single Republican to go on Fox News to defend Trump. On MSNBC, Chuck Todd said he "invited every single Republican senator on this program tonight, all 52," plus a dozen House GOPers. None would do it. On CNN, Kate Bolduan said bookers called 55 Republicans, and only one said yes.

Why it matters: Trump's undisciplined and incendiary style has left the most powerful man in the world with few friends — not one in the United States Senate, for instance.

Trump started with a pretty clean slate but has methodically alienated:

The public: Gallup has his approval at 34%, down from 46% just after the inauguration.
Republican congressional leaders — Senate Majority Mitch McConnell in particular.
Every Democrat who could help him do a deal.
The media.
CEOs.
World leaders.
Europe.
Muslims.
Hispanics.
African Americans.
Military leaders.
The intelligence community.
His own staff.

And who's happy?

Steve Bannon.
Saudi Arabia.
Breitbart.
David Duke.

Be smart: The presidency is a lonely job. But Trump is unusually isolated because he thinks he needs no one besides himself. As one of his most ardent defenders told me: "He's just not as good as he thinks he is. And no one can tell him."

~Mike Allen