Image by Getty

While some of the president’s closest advisers were disgusted with his comments this week on Charlottesville, chief strategist Steve Bannon was thrilled, according to friends and associates who spoke to him afterward.

“Steve was proud of how [Trump] stood up to the braying mob of reporters,” one person who spoke to Bannon told the Axios newsletter. Another said that the press conference, in which the president blamed both sides for the weekend violence in Virginia, was a “defining moment,” when Trump ditched so-called “globalists” in order to line up with “his people.”

Bannon was also said to applaud the dissolution of two corporate advisory councils, which Trump disbanded as chief executives abandoned after the Charlottesville remarks. According to Axios, Bannon dismissed the company leaders as the “Davos” crowd – a reference to the Swiss resort town where global elites gather for conferences.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Still, Bannon remains on the outs within the administration – with constant rumors spreading that he could be ousted from the administration. Asked about Bannon’s status within the White House, Trump was equivocal at the infamous Tuesday presser, telling reporters “We’ll see.”

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount