As confusion and anger swirled over President Trump's executive order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, the president signed another order giving chief strategist Steve Bannon a seat on the National Security Council. Bannon — who was considered a controversial choice for chief strategist because of Breitbart's tendency to share views many perceive as racist, sexist and anti-Semitic — can now regularly attend meetings that deal with policy issues affecting national security.
– Amid President Trump's flurry of actions Saturday was some restructuring at the National Security Council. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon now has a permanent seat on the principals committee of the NSC, reports the Washington Post, which notes that "the changes affirm the ascent of Bannon" in giving a political adviser a seat at the military table. At the same time, Trump ordered that the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former members of the principals committee, would be invited only when "issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed." The move is contrary to former President George W. Bush, reports CBS News, who banned Karl Rove from interactions with the NSC; former President Obama, however, occasionally sent David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs to NSC meetings. Bannon, however, "is a former naval officer. He's got a tremendous understanding of the world and the geopolitical landscape that we have now," says press secretary Sean Spicer, per the AP. Meanwhile, USA Today notes that the shakeup started #StopPresidentBannon trending. (Bannon had some succinct advice for the media on Saturday.)