Who’s really calling the shots at the White House – President Trump or chief strategist Steve Bannon?
That’s the question that has been circulating on social media over the past week and a half about the still-fledgling Trump presidency. Now, a new campaign has people sending postcards addressed to President Bannon and sharing them on social media using the hashtag #PostcardstoBannon.
It began when @cwardell suggested a letter-writing campaign targeted at “President Bannon”:
Maybe a letter writing campaign to the White House, w/ folks addressing letters to "President Bannon" might be best way to get Bannon fired🤔
— Clarence (@cwardell) February 6, 2017
Justin Hendrix then kickstarted the hashtag #PostcardstoBannon:
I am getting out a postcard and affixing a stamp right now... PLEASE RT https://t.co/eCXzujciwT
— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) February 6, 2017
@cwardell @mathbabedotorg #PostcardsToBannon
— Justin Hendrix (@justinhendrix) February 6, 2017
Now, hundreds of others have joined in, some sending multiple postcards.
I just wrote to the *real* Pres! Join me. He loves getting mail!#PostcardsForPresBannon #PresidentBannon #PostcardsToBannon pic.twitter.com/2vDDEo0X6K
— progressive blue (@weprogressives) February 7, 2017
Hendrix said: “People are having fun with it – it’s not the most serious protest. But what is serious is that the former publisher of a hate site that has embraced the alt-right and talked openly of destroying American institutions is pulling the strings in the Oval Office.”
Bannon was executive chair of Breitbart news, which he described as the “platform of the alt-right”. He has also been widely quoted as describing himself as “a Leninist ... [he] wanted to destroy the state and that’s my goal too”.
Hendrix said of his postcard campaign: “People are creative – I’ve seen people post photos of handmade cards, for instance. One lady made 30 of them in one night. I think it’s cathartic.”
One account, @Note2PresBannon, has also got behind the campaign. The person who runs it, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they began writing the postcards on their own out of frustration before joining with others sharing their missives on the internet.
Dear #PresidentBannon I'm concerned you've been #hacked! It appears Trumpie got access to @POTUS 😰😰😰#nationalsecurity #PostcardsToBannon pic.twitter.com/iNJyfVC0up
— Notes 2 Pres Bannon (@Note2PresBannon) February 9, 2017
“I’m a DC resident so I haven’t been able to partake in a lot of the actions of calling my representatives because I don’t have any,” they said.
“Plus, my biggest beef has been with Bannon, who no one has a say about.
“I felt using humor and a snarky tone took away power from Bannon. I made the account after a few friends expressed interest and I realised this could catch on.
“One of my friends told me recently that resisting should be fun, and writing the postcards is a blast.”
#PresidentBannon I think I get it. #OppositeDay #ElitestLiteraryReferences #PostcardsToBannon pic.twitter.com/GXY7Iwl6WX
— Notes 2 Pres Bannon (@Note2PresBannon) February 7, 2017
The hashtag #PresidentBannon has become more popular recently, as commentators suggest it is Trump’s chief strategist who is pulling the strings. Time magazine featured him on their cover, dubbing him “the great manipulator”:
TIME’s new cover: How Steve Bannon became the second most powerful man in the world https://t.co/EJpO6Qqg9K pic.twitter.com/BdpY4Hw9Xb
— TIME (@TIME) February 2, 2017
There’s a possibility these reports have angered President Trump. On Monday, he tweeted:
I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it. Some FAKE NEWS media, in order to marginalize, lies!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017
Meanwhile, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters about Trump: “He’s the one who develops the policy, he’s the one who makes the decisions, and I think there are so many times when you see things that don’t recognise that he is the guy that calls the shots.”
But in an article on divisions within the still-new White House team, the New York Times reported that Trump was “not fully briefed” when signing the executive order that put Bannon on the National Security Council.
Trump signed EO putting Bannon on National Security Council without realizing what he was signing. Now mad at Bannon https://t.co/ALctkvCzG3 pic.twitter.com/Hrovp5Hg7h
— Micah Lee (@micahflee) February 6, 2017
