Politics

Is President Trump Following Matt Drudge’s Advice?

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

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Just days after conservative news magnate Matt Drudge said President Trump needs to clean house at the White House, Trump is reportedly considering doing exactly that.

“We never got 1 damaging leak out of Obama White House staff in 8 yrs. Under Trump, they appear hourly. BIG DANGER: Small leaks sink ships!!” Drudge tweeted last week in response to a new flood of leaks from White House staffers. He added: “Trump advisers leaking to media are now deliberately sabotaging presidency. Major house cleaning needed for survival.”

Now, Trump is considering firing many of the members of his inner circle, including press secretary Sean Spicer, chief of staff Reince Preibus, White House counsel Don McGahn and chief strategist Steve Bannon, according to a Sunday report in Axios.

The Trump White House has struggled to cap a flood of leaks coming from White House staffers and other members of the executive branch.

The regular leaks were reportedly behind Trump’s decision to keep staffers in the dark about his firing of then-FBI Director James Comey. A report in the Associated Press said that Trump was worried staffers would leak his decision to the press.

Drudge quietly met with President Trump during a recent visit to the nation’s capital. His influential website, the eponymous Drudge Report, was one of the early boosters of Trump’s presidential campaign. (RELATED: ‘America’s Best Senator’ — Drudge Praises Rand Paul After ‘Intriguing Lunch’)

Drudge, who is known for avoiding the media spotlight him, is routinely named one of the most influential people in the news media. A Business Insider story last summer dubbed Drudge, “The man who could have stopped Donald Trump.”

Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson