The inside joke became-echoing Karl Rove as Bush's brain and later Steve Bannon as Trump's brain-that now it was Sean Hannity who had become Trump's resident genius. Trump had ended up with someone even stupider than he was. Yet this was fitting, because Trump deeply resented the implication that he ever needed to depend on someone else's acumen or intelligence-or, really, that there could possibly be anyone who was smarter than he was. But with Hannity as his sidekick, he could feel quite certain that no one would think he was relying on someone smarter. {This, in fact, was a frequent internal debate: Who was stupider, Trump or Hannity?}
The text discusses the dynamics between Donald Trump and Sean Hannity, suggesting that Trump surrounded himself with individuals whom he believed were not smarter than him. This reflected Trump's insecurities and his desire to not appear reliant on others' intelligence. The comparison to Karl Rove and Steve Bannon implies a continuing trend where Trump valued loyalty over wisdom in his close circles.
The humor in the situation lies in the debate over who was less intelligent, Trump or Hannity, highlighting the absurdity of their relationship. Despite this, Trump seemed to find comfort in having Hannity by his side, as it allowed him to maintain the facade of being the most capable figure without feeling overshadowed by anyone else's intellect.
