Donald Trump says Steve Bannon has 'lost his mind' after former aide attacks president's son for 'treasonous' meeting
Donald Trump has publicly disowned Steve Bannon as the pair fell out spectacularly over a new book revealing embarrassing details about the White House.
The US president said Mr Bannon, who ran Mr Trump’s election campaign and advised him in office, “has nothing to do with me or my presidency”.
Mr Trump claimed his former chief strategist had “lost his mind” and “rarely” met him one-on-one before leaving the White House last August.
The president also accused Mr Bannon of leaking “false information” to “make himself seem far more important than he was”.
The comments, issued through a rare statement in the president's name, complete a remarkable break down in trust between the two men most credited with Mr Trump’s presidential win.
It came after details of an explosive new book on Mr Trump emerged on Wednesday, with Mr Bannon quoted as delivering a series of criticisms about White House figures.
Mr Bannon said a meeting Mr Trump’s son Donald Jr had with Russian figures in Trump Tower was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, according to a copy seen by the Guardian.
The meeting, which took place before the election, is seen as key to the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the campaign.
He is also quoted as saying Mr Trump repeatedly tried to meet Vladimir Putin but that the Russian president “couldn’t give a s--- about him”, according to an extract in New York Magazine.
Explosive book claims
The comments threatened to challenge Mr Trump’s claim that the Russian investigation is a “witch hunt” and baseless.
The book, called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, is written by journalist Michael Wolff and based on 200 interviews with Mr Trump, his inner circle and other key players.
It is not released until next week but an article by the author published online revealed claims made in the book that are deeply embarrassing for the president.
Mr Trump’s wife Melania was “in tears — and not of joy” when he won the election and Mr Trump looked like he had “seen a ghost” because they expected a defeat, the piece in the New York Magazine said.
Mr Trump reportedly never expected victory and was considering launching his own TV channel after defeat.
The president’s daughter Ivanka said he used a Just for Men product to dye his hair, it was claimed, with the colour getting darker the longer it was left on and impatience explaining the “orange-blond” tone.
Mr Trump was also said to have banned people from touching his toothbrush and would strip the bed sheets himself after entering the White House for a fear of germs.
The book also claims Mr Trump sleeps in a separate bedroom from his wife, had two extra televisions installed there and is known to be in bed with a cheeseburger from 6.30pm.
Donald Trump's statement on Steve Bannon
'Cease and desist'
A lawyer for President Trump is threatening legal action against Mr Bannon over what he calls "outright defamatory statements".
Trump attorney Charles Harder has sent a letter to Bannon, saying the former chief strategist violated confidentiality agreements by speaking with the book's author. The letter demands Bannon "cease and desist" any further disclosure of confidential information.
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, described the book as “filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House”.
“Participating in a book that can only be described as trashy tabloid fiction exposes their sad desperate attempts at relevancy," she added.
Stephanie Grisham, communications director for the First Lady, said “The book is clearly going to be sold in the bargain fiction section.
“Mrs. Trump supported her husband's decision to run for President and in fact, encouraged him to do so. She was confident he would win and was very happy when he did.”
More claims from the book
The book, which is due to be published on January 9, also contains a string of claims about Mr Trump’s late-night phone calls.
It raises the possibility that the president himself may inadvertently be the source of White House leaks by talking so candidly to figures outside of the government.
It also alleges that Mr Trump would pick out weaknesses of close aides to others over the phone. He reportedly believed that Mr Bannon was “disloyal”, his son-in-law Jared Kushner was a “suck-up” and his former spinner Sean Spicer was “stupid”.
It is also claimed that Ivanka Trump entertained the idea that she would one day run for the White House and become the country’s first woman president.
Fire and Fury | Best lines from Michael Wolff's book
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that in the book Mr Bannon calls Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka “dumb as a brick”.
Explaining the sourcing for the claims, a note at the bottom of the New York Magazine piece explains how well placed the author was to report on the White House.
“Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Wolff says, he was able to take up ‘something like a semi-permanent seat on a couch in the West Wing’ — an idea encouraged by the president himself,” the note read.
“Because no one was in a position to either officially approve or formally deny such access, Wolff became ‘more a constant interloper than an invited guest.’
“There were no ground rules placed on his access, and he was required to make no promises about how he would report on what he witnessed. "
