President Trump has criticized his former strategist Steve Bannon calling him a madman. Trump said in a statement released on Wednesday that Bannon had lost his mind after he was kicked out of the White House. The Breitbart News chairman was quoted in excerpts in a book slamming a meeting between a Russian lawyer and Trump’s eldest son, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and the chairman of his campaign team at the time Paul Manafort.
This new revelation has sparked outrage from the Trump administration and the strongly worded statement released on Wednesday was in direct response to it. Trump added that when the former chief strategist at the White House got fired, he didn’t just lose his job but also his mind.
Steve Bannon has remained a very influential person even after leaving his position at the White House. The former chief strategist has remained a close adviser to the president and one of the key figures in Trump’s populist movement. Nonetheless, the president poured cold water on Bannon’s contributions to his success in the 2016 race.
The president called him an ordinary staffer who joined the team after he had trounced 17 other GOP nominees in the primaries. Trump also reiterated that Bannon didn’t contribute to his historic victory. But that is not all. The president also accused Bannon of being responsible for leaking false information from the White House.
Bannon’s role in Trump’s campaign and in the consequent victory cannot be hidden though. Although he joined the team in August 2016, he quickly became an important face of Trump’s movement. The Breitbart News chairman appeared to bond with the president on a wide range of issues including the bare-knuckle approach to politics as well as immigration and trade.
Bannon also spent six good months in the White House where he was one of the key advisers to the president. During his short time working there, Bannon was one of the most radical voices within Trump’s circle, pushing the president to implement some of the radical promises that he had made during the campaign.
However, Bannon was pushed out after newly appointed secretary of state John Kelly took over. The former chief strategist has maintained a high profile and continues to work on a conservative network designed to support candidates who have the same nationalist-populist vision that he has.
A fall out with president Trump will, however, be a huge setback. Bannon’s comments to a journalist involved in a new book titled “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” appear to have rubbed the president the wrong way.
Bannon was quoted in the book criticizing Kushner, Trump Jr. and Manafort for agreeing to a meeting with a Russian lawyer. The quotes were published in ‘The Guardian.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that Trump was furious and disgusted by these latest developments. However, Bannon is yet to respond to the White House statement.
