This Season, on “The Apprentice”

Heh.

But (aside from the humor that the political apprentice seems to be the guy behind the desk), it does demonstrate a few things:

1. Pulling together a “Gang of Rivals” for close advisors only work if you make it clear that you are in charge, not they, if you stay involved in how things are going, and if you can get them working more on your side than against the others. Thus, that folks have been pushed out of these close roles due to political infighting and backstabbing over the seven (!) months of the Trump Administration to date is a sign of poor leadership, not any sort of natural process.
2. Bringing in folk without adequately vetting them always ends poorly, especially when you already know you’re going to be locked in conflict with the media.
3. Those two points considered, the person who succeeds (well, at least who survives the snake pit longest) in this particular Administration (the same is true, to a lesser degree, in any executive organization) is going to be the one who is acts with the most loyalty, who not only avoids but vigorously pushes away any headlines, who doesn’t give out-of-bounds interviews, who doesn’t attract too much negative attention for their shenanigans, and who doesn’t seem to be taking (or being given) too much credit for any successes to date. Pence has played this role perfectly.

The Trump God is a Jealous God, who will cut you off at the knees if people start giving you glory for things he thinks he should be glorified over, or start giving him shade for things that you’ve done.