His biggest challenges so far
Michael A. Memoli
... Amid the fallout over the firing of the first person to hold the post, Michael Flynn, the president has escalated his war with the media, questions have mounted about Trump associates’ ties to Russia, and his top pick to replace Flynn backed away, making it known he was concerned about how much autonomy he would have ...
Trump maintained last week that his administration is functioning “smoothly” and like a “fine-tuned machine.” But the West Wing is battling incessant reports of internal strife at the highest levels, and questions about the outsize role being played by chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
He has been given a permanent seat on the National Security Council, which is the president’s principal forum for confronting national security and foreign policy issues and coordinating U.S. response among agencies.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he had concerns about the makeup of Trump’s National Security Council and whether it could be subject to political influence, and that others shared his view ...
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-national-security-advisor-20170219-story.html