Trump's populism was a ruse. Bannon's ouster proves it.

By E.J. Dionne Jr. Opinion writer August 18 at 4:58 PM

Is President Trump a populist or a corporatist?

Is he appealing to white supremacists as a form of political opportunism — or because, deep down, he sympathizes with their views? Is he the hard-core “fire and fury” hawk of his North Korea statements? Or is he actually a non-interventionist who disdains foreign engagement?

The answer to all these questions is: Who knows? There is absolutely no way of establishing what Trump believes. He says whatever he feels he has to say at any given moment to get attention, strike back at foes or advance his personal (especially economic) interests. But Trump’s decision to let go of his right-wing-populist-in-chief Stephen K. Bannon sends a clear signal that the president’s “populism” has always been a ruse. And Bannon committed the cardinal sins of dishing to a liberal journalist and dissing his own base within the Republican Party.

One reason Bannon has always inspired fascination is that he has a set of beliefs that, while not always coherent, are strongly held. Faced with a president whose ideology verges on nihilism, here was someone in the Trump orbit who cared about certain things passionately. Bannon was allowed to fill in the blanks left by an empty man.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bannon-and-the-fall-of-populism/2017/08/18/3557d676-8454-11e7-ab27-1a21a8e006ab_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop&utm_term=.eb426cf3efa0