Biographer: Bannon on the outs with Trump — for now
White House reporter and “Bannon: Always the Rebel” author Keith Koffler joined Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting” program Friday to provide some insight on the president’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, amid their very public feud.
Q: Were you in the White House press briefing room for the video update from President Trump?
A: Yes, I was. He responded to Bannon, and apparently Bannon said some nice things about him and Trump said that he had already changed his tune. But it seems like Bannon is still very much on the outs here in the White House. At least for now, you never know. Trump often brings people back in that he has exiled, so I wouldn’t rule out that Bannon might make his way back into the president’s graces at some point.
Q: When you say Bannon isn’t done yet, what do you mean by that?
A: Not done for now. At least he still is running Breitbart, and I’m not convinced that he’s going to be ousted there. But remember, basically among the populist, nationalist base that elected Trump there are two well-known figures — one is Bannon, one is Trump — and so Bannon still has a lot of sway with voters who could possibly turn against Trump. If Bannon can damage Trump with the group of voters that he still has a lot of sway with, it can hurt the president politically. And Bannon, just from interviewing him, you can tell he’s one of those people that never stops, he pushes forward, he’ll find other sources of money if he loses his current sources and he’s just going to remain a factor.
Q: It isn’t Bannon who’s picking this fight, right? This is just coming out because of Bannon’s comments in Michael Wolff’s new book, “Fire and Fury.”
A: It’s coming out because of the book, but it’s also coming out because of some of the things that Bannon said, where he went after Donald Trump Jr. and said that the behavior at the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians may have been treasonous. That’s what got Trump so angry and that’s what has definitely put Bannon on the outs with the president.
Q: Is it palpable from that press briefing room that the White House is scrambling?
A: Yes. I think there’s a sense that they are trying very hard to knock down this book. They are obviously threatened by it. They are calling into question the author’s credibility, which I think in some ways is a legitimate thing to do — even some journalists think that he’s not quite credible — so they obviously think there is danger.