In an interview with CBS’ Charlie Rose that aired in part on Thursday morning, ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said that anyone in the White House who disagrees with President Donald Trump should resign, singling out economic adviser Gary Cohn.
Bannon made the comment while defending Trump’s response to the deadly attack in Charlottesville, when the President failed to fully condemn white nationalists. Bannon said that there is “no room in American politics” for “the Neo-Nazis and Neo-Confederates and the Klan.” He argued that Trump was saying, “Where does it end? Does it end in taking down the Washington Monument? Does it end in taking down Mount Rushmore? Does it end at taking Churchill’s bust out of the Oval Office?”
“I was the only guy that came out and tried to defend him,” Bannon told Rose. “When you side with a man, you side with him. I was proud to come out and try to defend President Trump in the media that day.”
Bannon said that it’s acceptable to offer Trump advice on how to deliver his message, but the former White House official said that anyone willing to openly disagree with the President should step down.
“If you’re going to break with him, resign. The stuff that was leaked out that week by certain members of the White House I thought was unacceptable. If you find it unacceptable, you should resign,” Bannon said.
Rose asked if Bannon was referring to a specific White House official.
“I’m talking – obviously, about Gary Cohn and some other people,” Bannon replied. “That if you don’t like what he’s doing and you don’t agree with it, you have an obligation to resign.”
Cohn openly criticized Trump’s comments blaming “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville during an interview with the Financial Times. He said Trump “must do better” in condemning white nationalists.
During his interview with CBS, which will air in full on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Bannon also criticized the way in which Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The President ended the program that protects undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors from deportation, but he called on Congress to restore the policy through legislation.
“Trust me, the guys in the far right, the guys on the conservative side are not happy with this,” Bannon told CBS.
Asked about the Catholic church’s support for DACA, Bannon said that Catholic officials only support DACA because “they need illegal aliens to fill the churches.”
