NATIONAL HARBOR, M.D. — White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon chided the media throughout his Thursday appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), tagging reporters with his favorite nickname: the opposition party. 
 
 “If you look at the opposition party, how they portrayed the campaign, how they portrayed the transition, how they portray the administration, it’s always wrong," Bannon said. 
 
 “If you remember, the campaign, by the media’s description, was the most chaotic, the most disorganized, most unprofessional, had no idea what they were doing. And then you saw [the media] all crying and weeping” on election night. 
 
 Bannon, the controversial former head of Breitbart News, has embraced his role as the media's top antagonist. Speaking alongside White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, he framed the media as part of a global war against the president’s agenda after Priebus accused the media of taking potshots at Trump over the summer of 2016. 
 
 "The corporatist, globalist media is adamantly opposed to economic nationalist agenda like Donald Trump Donald John TrumpTrump Jr. getting 0k to speak at UNT Zuckerberg backed immigration group pushes Trump to keep DACA Trump learned from his health care fight and offered a winning tax plan MORE has," he said. 
 
 “He’s going to continue to press his agenda as economic conditions get better, as jobs get better, they are going to continue to fight. If they think they are going to give you your country back without a fight, you are mistaken. Every day, it is going to be a fight." ||||| After reports surfaced that she opposed the Trump administration’s recent withdrawal of federal guidance that supports transgender students’ rights, Betsy DeVos emphasized her support for the move at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday. 
 
 “Let me just say this issue was a very huge example of the Obama administration’s overreach,” DeVos told CNN commentator Kayleigh McEnany in a CPAC Q&A. She called the Obama guidance an example of “one-size-fits-all federal government approach,” and said the issue is “best dealt with and solved on a personal level and local level.” 
 
 While DeVos emphasized her responsibility “to protect students and to do that to the fullest extent that we can,” she also said it is the Department of Education’s job to provide flexibility to parents and teachers and to “protect and preserve personal freedom.” 
 
 The fight over how schools should treat transgender students has been months in the making. In May 2016, the Obama administration told schools that they should allow transgender students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity. However, on Wednesday evening, the Trump administration’s Department of Education and Department of Justice withdrew this guidance, citing legal confusion. 
 
 According to media reports, DeVos opposed the move but was railroaded by Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. She instead worked to make sure the letter from the departments emphasized the importance of protecting students from bullying and harassment, according to The New York Times. 
 
 During the Q&A at CPAC, DeVos said she thinks the main responsibilities of the Department of Education are to protect special needs students and students’ civil rights. Other than that, she said, “the role of the federal government should be as light a touch as possible.” 
 
 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told her audience at CPAC that "my job isn’t to win a popularity contest with the media or the education establishment here in Washington." 
 
 DeVos faced a difficult confirmation process in which she barely received enough votes to become a Cabinet secretary. After the Senate was tied in a 50-50 vote on her confirmation, Vice President Mike Pence made the tie-breaking decision in her favor. 
 
 She referenced this controversy during a speech that preceded the Q&A. 
 
 “The media has had its fun with me, and that’s OK,” DeVos said. “My job isn’t to win a popularity contest with the media or the education establishment here in Washington. My job as secretary of education is to make education work for students.” 
 
 During the speech, DeVos also railed against the “education establishment” and Obama-era education policies, which she said “failed miserably.” She made her case for school choice policies that provide students with options outside of their neighborhood public school. 
 
 DeVos has spent decades promoting school choice policies as an education philanthropist, focusing especially on voucher programs that give kids taxpayer funds to attend private schools. DeVos’ critics argue that she could emphasize these programs at the expense of traditional public schools ― which most students attend. 
 
 In her Q&A, DeVos said school choice is a matter of justice. School choice policies provide poor parents with the same educational options as rich parents who can already choose where their kids go to school, she argued. 
 
 DeVos received considerable applause when she suggested that political correctness on college campuses was damaging, both during her Q&A and in her speech. She called on conservative students to “keep talking, keep making your arguments.” ||||| Photo by John Shinkle/POLITICO Priebus and Bannon push back on the idea they are warring forces 
 
 Reince Priebus says he loves how Steve Bannon dresses — his schleppy, layered look with multiple shirt collars popping out. Bannon, for his part, claims a deep respect for the weight of Priebus’ hand on the tiller in the White House. 
 
 “I can run a little hot,” Bannon, President Donald Trump’s top strategist, said Thursday during an appearance with Priebus, the White House chief of staff. “Reince is always steady.” 
 
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 For weeks, Bannon and Priebus have been mounting a charm offensive — privately — with reporters in an effort to counter seemingly endless palace intrigue stories about their rivalry inside the White House. Their talk at CPAC, the annual conservative gathering, was their first time taking their buddy comedy act public. 
 
 The biggest misconception about their relationship, they told the audience, is everything. 
 
 “In regard to us two, I think the biggest misconception is everything that you’re reading. We share an office suite together. We’re basically together from 6:30 in the morning until 11:00 o’clock at night,” Priebus said. “Let's not kid ourselves — I can talk about data and ground game, and Steve can talk about big ideas, but the truth of the matter is, Donald Trump, President Trump, brought together the party and the conservative movement. And I've got to tell you, if the party and conservative movement are together, similar to Steve and I, it can't be stopped.” 
 
 Priebus, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, was widely seen as the face of the GOP establishment that was largely reluctant to embrace Trump’s brand of bombastic rhetoric and economic populism. Bannon, who joined Trump’s campaign in mid-August and helped steer it to a surprise victory last November, was the head of Breitbart News, a media outlet popular among the alt-right, a loose group of political ideologies with ties to white nationalism whose supporters are among Trump’s most fervent backers. 
 
 Their repeated private expressions of bonhomie have done little to stop the flow of stories about dysfunction in the White House, even from right-wing publications that in the past have written mostly favorably about Trump. Last week, Breitbart published an article blaming Priebus for the administration’s internal disarray. 
 
 The two men have each brought allies into the administration, intensifying the perceived competition between them. They’ve clashed over the botched rollout of Trump’s executive order blocking refugees and visa-holders from seven Muslim-majority countries, which has been overturned by federal courts. 
 
 But onstage, the two portrayed themselves as an odd couple bonded by their devotion to their boss — and by their shared distrust of the media. 
 
 “If you look at the opposition party and how they portray the campaign, how they portrayed the transition, and how they are portraying the administration, it's always wrong,” Bannon said, referring to the media. “Just like they were dead wrong on the chaos of the campaign and just like they were dead wrong on the chaos of the transition, they are absolutely dead wrong about what’s going on today.” 
 
 If the internal rivalries are pure fiction, Bannon said his and Priebus’ war on the media is real. “The internal logic makes sense,” he said. “The corporatist, globalist media that is adamantly opposed to an economic nationalist agenda like Donald Trump has ... If you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you're sadly mistaken.” 
 
 Bannon, who rarely speaks in public, described Trump’s agenda in terms economic nationalism, national security and sovereignty. He committed to the “deconstruction of the administrative state" through massive deregulation. 
 
 He acknowledged the different wings of the party, from populists to limited government conservatives. But he said that what unites the party, like it unites the two men on the stage, is a belief that “we’re a nation with a culture and a reason for being. That’s what’s going to unite this group.” 
 
 The crowd gave multiple standing ovations and, at one point, broke out in a chant of "Trump! Trump! Trump!" 
 
 Press secretary Sean Spicer said that the idea of the duo appearing together was pitched to them by CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp, who moderated the conversation. At the end, Schlapp suggested a group hug. "I cherish his friendship," Priebus said before leaving the stage. 
 
 Authors: ||||| Conservatives are smiling this week at an annual convention just outside Washington as they celebrated President Trump’s win, but beneath the surface lurk tensions central to how Republicans will govern in the next two years and to the 2018 election outlook. 
 
 At the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference — once a fringe event that is now decidedly in the Republican mainstream — Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to help fire up an estimated 10,000 activists in attendance. 
 
 Known as CPAC, the event is being held at a new MGM resort and casino in Maryland. So Trump, a former casino developer, should feel at home, despite certain unresolved differences with many of his hosts over issues such as trade, taxes and small government. (Reuters) 
 
 See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr. ||||| White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 23. Bannon said the media is "adamantly opposed to" the president's agenda. (The Washington Post) 
 
 Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s reclusive chief strategist and the intellectual force behind his nationalist agenda, said Thursday that the new administration is locked in an unending battle against the media and other globalist forces to “deconstruct” an outdated system of governance. 
 
 In his first public speaking appearance since Trump took office, Bannon made his comments alongside White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus at a gathering of conservative activists. They sought to prove that they are not rivals but partners in fighting on Trump’s behalf to transform Washington and the world order. 
 
 “They’re going to continue to fight,” Bannon said of the media, which he repeatedly described as “the opposition party,” and other forces he sees as standing in the president’s way. “If you think they are giving you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken.” 
 
 Atop Trump’s agenda, Bannon said, was the “deconstruction of the administrative state” — meaning a system of taxes, regulations and trade pacts that the president and his advisers believe stymie economic growth and infringe upon one’s sovereignty. 
 
 “If you look at these Cabinet nominees, they were selected for a reason, and that is deconstruction,” Bannon said. He posited that Trump’s announcement withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership was “one of the most pivotal moments in modern American history.” 
 
 [Alt-right leader expelled from CPAC, after organizer denounces ‘left-wing fascist group’] 
 
 Bannon and Priebus advanced the administration’s war against the media in a joint appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where they were interviewed on stage by Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union, which hosts the gathering. Last week, Trump tweeted an extraordinary condemnation of the media, calling news organizations “the enemy of the American People.” 
 
 
 
 White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post) 
 
 Bannon picked up that theme Thursday in his remarks at CPAC: “They’re corporatist, globalist media that are adamantly opposed to an economic nationalist agenda like Donald Trump has.” 
 
 Bannon also said, “If you look at the opposition party and how they portrayed the campaign and how they portrayed the transition and how they portray the administration, it’s always wrong.” 
 
 [Steve Bannon’s not-so-subtle threat to the media] 
 
 Priebus agreed, saying that he thinks the biggest misconception about the Trump administration in its first month is “everything that you’re reading.” He and Bannon were defiant about the way they have been represented in the media, insisting that they were close friends and partners and that reports of power struggles were flat wrong. 
 
 Priebus said that after “attacking” Trump during the campaign, journalists “now feed ridiculous stories, and all we do every day — and all President Trump does every day — is hit his agenda, every single day.” 
 
 Bannon added, “Just like they were dead wrong on the chaos of the campaign and just like they were dead wrong on the chaos of the transition, they are absolutely dead wrong on what they’re reporting today.” He said “all” of Trump’s campaign promises would be implemented in short order. 
 
 Schlapp asked Priebus and Bannon what each likes most about the other. Looking at Bannon, who was wearing a dark jacket and open-collared shirt with no tie, Priebus quipped: “I love how many collars he wears. Interesting look.” Then he got serious, saying Bannon is “very dogged” and “incredibly loyal” — and called him “a very dear friend.” 
 
 Bannon commended Priebus on being a “steady” force inside the West Wing. 
 
 “I can run a little hot on occasions, but Reince is indefatigable,” Bannon said. “Reince is indefatigable in saying, ‘We’ve got to drive this forward.’ ” ||||| Kellyanne Conway summed up a year of dramatic overhaul of the conservative movement in five words on Thursday: "Tomorrow, this will be TPAC." 
 
 At this time last year, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was the darling of the Conservative Political Action Conference and Conway was leading a political action committee supporting Cruz's campaign. 
 
 Businessman Donald Trump had canceled his speech, sending "a clear message to grass-roots conservatives," a spokesman for the American Conservative Union – the organization behind the annual conclave outside of Washington – said at the time. 
 
 But on Thursday, Conway – now a White House counselor after a stint as Trump's campaign manager – thanked CPAC attendees for lifting Trump to the Oval Office, and pointed to his marriage with conservatives by subbing his initial into the conference's name. 
 
 Though at the heart of the conservative movement, CPAC has not always been fully in line with the Republican Party and its priorities. 
 
 But Conway on Thursday – coming off a difficult week to bask in the adulation of the receptive crowd – credited the assembled activists for proving, along with Trump, that outsiders could win the day. 
 
 "Every great movement ends up being a little bit sclerotic and dusty after a time, and I think they need an infusion of energy," she said. "In the case of candidate Trump, and president-elect and nominee Trump, he went right to the grass roots and brought you along. 
 
 "He made people feel from the beginning you were part of this movement." 
 
 Conway praised her boss as "the first candidate of his type: that non-politician, true outsider who's coming to shake up the system." She said that description is relatable for those at CPAC.
– Steve Bannon made his first public appearance since Donald Trump became president Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the Washington Post reports. The president's chief strategist said Trump's goal is the "deconstruction of the administrative state," meaning dismantling systems of taxation, regulation, and trade. Bannon said Trump picked his Cabinet nominees with that deconstruction in mind. Here's what else is making headlines at CPAC: Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who spoke alongside Bannon, says they aren't rivals, as characterized by the media. Instead he says they work alongside each other and share a connection through Trump, Politico reports. White nationalist Richard Spencer was kicked out of CPAC after being spotted in the lobby of the hotel where it's taking place. "His views are repugnant and have absolutely nothing to do with conservatism," a CPAC spokesperson tells NPR. The Hill reports Bannon also reserved some of his time to bash reporters and the media, who he repeatedly called the "opposition party." He warned that every day will be a fight against the "corporatist, globalist media." Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz predicted—without explanation—that Trump will have a second Supreme Court seat to fill by the summer, Time reports. He also called the Democratic base "bat crap crazy." Speaking of Cruz, a lot has changed since last year's CPAC, where he was the headliner and Trump canceled his speech, according to US News. Kellyanne Conway, who was working for Cruz this time last year, says CPAC is now "TPAC," in reference to Trump. Despite earlier reports that she clashed with the attorney general and Trump on protecting the bathroom rights of transgender students, at CPAC Betsy DeVos said she supported the removal of Obama's guidelines, calling them "overreach," the Huffington Post reports. Finally, Yahoo News has a photo gallery from CPAC.