Gorka and his hard-right views on Islam head back to the White House

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Politics

Gorka and his hard-right views on Islam head back to the White House

Sebastian Gorka has ruffled feathers among even reverent Trump loyalists and other Republicans, who have described him as underqualified.


Sebastian Gorka, seen in 2022, championed the travel ban affecting majority-Muslim countries during the first Trump administration. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post)

By Alex Horton and John Hudson
November 23, 2024 at 3:45 p.m. EST

Sebastian Gorka, the pugilistic commentator who leveraged fears about Islam as a threat to Western civilization into a short-lived role in the first Trump administration, is poised for a second run inside the White House. … Gorka was tapped to serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism, president-elect Donald Trump said Friday night. Previously, Gorka was an adviser on national security matters for Trump for seven months until his abrupt exit.

The role, which doesn’t require Senate confirmation, will position Gorka to provide counsel and input on issues he has focused on for years, including hard-line approaches on militant groups and immigration. But if his previous role at the Trump administration is any indication, he is poised to ruffle feathers even among reverent Trump loyalists and other Republicans, who have described him as fringe and underqualified, more suited to riff in cable news green rooms than guide policy in the Oval Office.

Gorka, a British-Hungarian-American radio personality, taught courses on national security and served in faculty positions for years, including at military institutions like National Defense University, and worked closely with far-right political operative Stephen K. Bannon at Breitbart News before his first assignment in the Trump White House. … Trump complimented Gorka’s qualifications in his announcement and said he “has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA movement.”

Gorka’s second ascension into the White House created immediate turmoil. Michael Anton, a national security official in Trump’s first administration, was previously a leading candidate to become deputy national security adviser but pulled himself out of contention when he was told the National Security Council would include a position for Gorka, according to multiple people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. … “Almost universally, the entire team considers Gorka a clown,” said a person close to the national security transition team. “They are dreading working with him.” … Anton did not respond to a request for comment, while Gorka told The Washington Post: “I don’t comment to the fake failing news.”

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By Alex Horton
Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Washington Post focused on the U.S. military. He served in Iraq as an Army infantryman.follow on X @AlexHortonTX

By John Hudson
John Hudson is a reporter at The Washington Post covering the State Department and national security. He was part of the team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has reported from dozens of countries, including Ukraine, China, Afghanistan, India and Belarus.follow on X @John_Hudson

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Gorka is a nazi

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[C0RI0LANUS]

2. What will Trumpf's Muslim autocratic allies say about Sebastian Gorka's anti-Islam messaging?

PS: Sebastian Gorka anagrams to: "Airbag on skates."