President Trump on Tuesday seemed to downplay Steve Bannon’s role in his campaign when asked about how much confidence he has in his chief strategist.
When asked by The New York Post‘s Michael Goodwin if he still has confidence in Bannon in the wake of recent reports about White House infighting, Trump did not give a definitive answer.
“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump told the publication.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.”
Multiple reports in recent days have alleged that the White House is in the middle of an internal fight between Bannon and Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. Trump is reportedly considering ousting Bannon, and the former Breitbart executive was recently removed from his elevated role on the National Security Council.
The White House, however, said that the media reports of conflict between senior aides are “overblown.”
“There’s a lot of stuff that was overblown about this that makes it out into the media sometimes and gets a little more sensational than it really is,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday.
Trump seemed to confirm reports that he sat down with top aides late last week and demanded they bury the hatchet.
“Steve is a good guy, but I told them to straighten it out or I will,” Trump told The New York Post.
