Is Trump Happy With McMaster, Or Isn't He?

What's going on at the National Security Council? Eli Lake at Bloomberg View reports that President Trump himself has "clashed" with National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster "in front of his staff." And it's not just the president, Lake writes:

On policy, the faction of the White House loyal to senior strategist Steve Bannon is convinced McMaster is trying to trick the president into the kind of nation building that Trump campaigned against. Meanwhile the White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, is blocking McMaster on a key appointment.

That appointment is for deputy national security advisor. K.T. McFarland, who holds the spot, has been looking to exit the White House to become the U.S. ambassador to Singapore since the beginning of April. McMaster, Lake reports, has tried to bring on Army general Ricky Waddell to succeed McFarland, but Priebus has so far blocked Waddell. That's because McMaster did not properly seek approval through the White House's chain of command, including (as Lake reports) by requesting approval of Priebus. But I'm told Waddell isn't necessarily blocked from the job permanently—it could be delayed from McMaster's desire to have a Waddell as his new deputy by May 10.

In a statement provided to Lake, the president himself dismissed any of the drama around McMaster. "I couldn't be happier with H.R. He's doing a terrific job," Trump said.

And that's the view among the senior staff at the White House, according of Hope Hicks, the White House's director of strategic communications. "Everyone believes H.R. McMaster is doing an incredible job, especially the president," said Hicks in an email to me.