In WSJ interview, Trump disses Bannon -- but says nothing's permanent
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon had "very little" to do with President Donald Trump's White House victory, Trump told The Wall Street Journal.
Posted — UpdatedA transcript of the full interview with the President published Thursday contained harsh words from Trump for his former confidant.
"Steve was -- I always liked Steve, but Steve became very ineffective because he was such a lightning rod," Trump said, according the The Journal. "And Steve, in the end I fired Steve."
On Tuesday, Bannon stepped down from his position at the far-right website Breitbart News Network. The news of his resignation followed remarks he had made in the recently published book on the Trump White House, "Fire and Fury," in which he was quoted calling the infamous Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr. possibly "treasonous."
Trump and Bannon publicly clashed following the book's release. However, when asked if the demise of their relationship is permanent, the President wouldn't say.
"You never know, you know again, the word -- I don't know what the word permanent means, OK? I never know what the word permanent means. We'll see what happens, but Steve had nothing to do with my win. Well, certainly very little," Trump said, according to the transcript.
The President pointed to his initial success during the campaign, prior to Bannon joining the team.
"And he was there two months -- what was it two months after? So, I beat 17 people, OK?" Trump said.
Copyright 2024 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
