Officials inside and close to the White House are reportedly divided on whether President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is wrecking Trump’s agenda.
According to a report from the Spectator, various conservatives close to the administration agree that Kushner, counselor to the president, is disrupting Trump’s agenda but are torn on whether it’s because of his intellect or agenda.
“Trump has a Jared problem,” said a conservative activist who works with the Trump administration on immigration. “Jared is a total f–k-up. Everything he touches turns to lead.”
Officials reportedly describe Kushner as a “moron,” “slow,” and “not very bright” after interacting with him at policy meetings, suggesting he was unfamiliar with the nuances of immigration policy and the details of his own proposals.
Sources said Kushner was unable to answer questions about chain migration or the diversity visa lottery, subjects that were in a 600-plus-page immigration package that Kushner was spearheading. “He presents as someone very knowledgeable and in the know until he faces questions,” said an individual who attended a briefing on the immigration plan. “He goes off the record or on deep background, so people don’t realize he’s a f—ing idiot.”
Some officials close to Kushner credit the Trump son-in-law’s business acumen for policy victories, including negotiations that led to new miles of border wall and bipartisan coalitions in support of the First Step Act, a piece of criminal justice reform Trump often touts.
[Also read: Jared Kushner driving Trump campaign staff changes after Tulsa rally]
Some officials close to the administration feel Kushner is intentionally sabotaging his father-in-law’s agenda, holding his own ideological agenda as a priority. “The depths and lengths Jared is going to stab Trump in the back [are] quite profound,” an individual said. “Trump’s been burned by Jared so many times.”
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, White House officials were reportedly divided on whether the president should address the nation amid violent riots and looting. Kushner and two of his staffers, Brooke Rollins and Ja’Ron Smith, urged Trump not to take an aggressive stance because it may alienate black voters. Trump supporters on cable news, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have blasted Kushner and others for the administration’s response to the violence.
“What’s their agenda?” an administration official close to Kushner reportedly said, questioning the motives of individuals like Carlson. “Are they trying to give the president options, or do they have a preconceived determination as to what they think the policy should be? The job is to go in there, present the president options, and then let him decide what he wants to do. He was the one who was elected … these people weren’t elected.”
Kushner’s defenders also assert that the president’s supporters often scapegoat him because they are not willing to assign blame to the president. “For Trumpists, the hardest thing would be to admit that the man they elected is not their champion. It’s easier to blame Jared.”
