Trump: ‘I Like Bannon’ But Don’t Give Him Much Credit (Or Call Him A Racist)

President Donald Trump answers a question after an event to sign a memorandum calling for a trade investigation of China, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington. (AP ... President Donald Trump answers a question after an event to sign a memorandum calling for a trade investigation of China, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) MORE LESS

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dodged questions about whether he plans to keep Steve Bannon on as chief White House strategist. Trump said he likes Bannon — but don’t give him too much credit for Trump’s election victory.

“Look, look, I like Mr. Bannon. He’s a friend of mine,” Trump said in an impromptu press conference from Trump Tower in Manhattan. “But Mr. Bannon came on very late. You know that. I went through 17 senators, governors and I won all the primaries. Mr. Bannon came on very much later than that.”

He called Bannon “a good person” and “not a racist.”

“I like him. He’s a good man,” Trump said. “He actually gets a very unfair press in that regard. But we’ll see what happens with Mr. Bannon. But he’s a good person and I think the press treats him frankly very unfairly.”

The New York Times on Monday reported that White House chief of staff John Kelly made his displeasure with Bannon clear, and that Trump did not offer much objection when Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch urged him to fire Bannon.

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  1. “But we’ll see what happens with Mr. Bannon.”

    And then we’ll see what happens to you.

  2. Oooooh, I think Bannon just got the kiss of death…

  3. Avatar for korvu korvu says:

    Out like Flynn?

  4. Avatar for krux krux says:

    What’s with the “Mr. Bannon” repeated over and over. Is that supposed to be distancing him? Like they meet in the hallway every once in a while but barely know each other?

  5. Speak nicely of the defacto President, Donnie-boy…

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