US president-elect Donald Trump made his first two key appointments on Sunday, one an overture to Republican inner circles and the other a shot across the bow of the Washington DC establishment.
Trump named GOP chief Reince Priebus as his chief of staff, and tapped right-wing Breitbart news executive Stephen Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor.
The two men had made up Trump's chief of staff shortlist, and while Priebus got that job, Bannon's post is expected to have significant clout. The media executive with ties to the white nationalist movement was given top billing in the statement announcing their appointments.
Priebus, who tied the RNC to Trump this summer despite some intra-party objections, is a GOP operative with deep expertise of the Washington establishment that Trump has vowed to shake up. He also has close ties to House Speaker Paul Ryan.
"I am very grateful to the president-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism," Priebus said in the statement.
Bannon, meanwhile, helped transform the Breitbart news site into the leading mouthpiece of the party's anti-establishment wing, which helped fuel Trump's political rise. Ryan has been one of his most frequent targets.
In announcing the appointments, Trump said Priebus and Bannon would work as "equal partners" - effectively creating two power centers in the West Wing. The arrangement is risky and could leave ambiguity over who makes final decisions.
Priebus is a traditional choice, one meant as an olive branch to the Republicans who control both houses of Congress as Trump looks to pass his legislative agenda.
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