On Saturday, The New York Timesreported that former President Donald Trump's aides are running out of patience with his conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen — even as he continues to make those conspiracy theories the central focus for the Republican Party at large.
"Some of his aides are not eager to engage with him on his conspiracy theories and would like to see him press a forward-looking agenda that could help Republicans in 2022," reported Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman. "People in his circle joke that the most senior adviser to the former leader of the free world is Christina Bobb, a correspondent with the far-right, eternally pro-Trump One America News Network, whom he consults regularly for information about the Arizona election audit."
The flip side is that Trump himself has grown angry with his closest aides.
"Both of his 2020 campaign managers, Bill Stepien and Brad Parscale, are on Mr. Trump's payroll and still involved in his world. But Mr. Trump is episodically enraged with most members of his team," said the report. "This time around, Jared Kushner, his son-in-law who oversaw his 2020 campaign operation, has mostly dropped out, telling the small circle of advisers around the ex-president that he wants to focus on writing his book and establishing a simpler relationship with Mr. Trump, where he is just a son-in-law. Donald Trump Jr. has stepped in as the most politically involved family member in his father's life."
According to the report, Trump plans to use his speech in North Carolina on Saturday night to attack Dr. Fauci, among other things — but some aides are terrified of what will happen if he uses his speech to attack the 2020 election, or even push the QAnon conspiracy theory that he will be "reinstated."