Steve Bannon backpeddles over Trump book

Steve Bannon has tried to heal his explosive rift with Donald Trump by retreating on his comments about Donald Jr.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is now more contrite over allegations in the book Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House. Picture: AFP

Steve Bannon has tried to heal his explosive rift with Donald Trump by retreating on his comments about the US President’s son.

But the relationship between the Mr Trump and his former chief strategist may be beyond repair. Mr Trump’s White House allies intensified their attacks on Mr Bannon yesterday, with top policy adviser Stephen Miller describing him as “angry”, “vindictive” and “out of touch”.

Amid the growing fallout over his claims in Michael Wolff’s ­controversial new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, the normally pugnacious Mr Bannon took a rare backward step yesterday.

He denied he had described Donald Trump Jr’s 2016 meeting with Russian officials as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, claiming the comments reported in Wolff’s book were referring to the President’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Mr Bannon also praised Mr Trump, saying his support was “unwavering for the President and his agenda”.

“I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the President’s historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency,” Mr Bannon’s statement said. “Donald Trump Jr is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father.”

In the book, Mr Bannon also ­allegedly said special counsel Robert’s Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s links to the Republican campaign team would ensnare Mr Trump Jr.

“They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV,” Wolff quoted Mr Bannon as ­saying.

Yesterday, a contrite Mr Bannon said: “President Trump was the only candidate that could have taken on and defeated the Clinton apparatus. I am the only person to date to conduct a global effort to preach the message of Trump and Trumpism; and remain ready to stand in the breach for this President’s efforts to make America great again.”

Mr Bannon’s comments are only a partial apology, and may have come too late. His role as a chief source of Wolff’s highly critical portrayal of the Trump administration has sent the President into a rage.

He reportedly told Republican allies to choose between himself and Mr Bannon.

Since details of the book emerged late last week, Mr Bannon has faced mounting pressure, losing the support of the Mercer family — billionaires who have bankrolled Mr Bannon, his populist movement and Breitbart, the right-wing website he runs.

The rift with Mr Trump and the Mercers jeopardises Mr Bannon’s hopes of reshaping the Republican Party by grooming fellow populists to replace mainstream election candidates.

Mr Trump reportedly instructed his allies to appear on TV yesterday to “bury Steve”.

Mr Miller led the way in panning Mr Bannon’s “grotesque comments”.

“It reads like an angry, vindictive person spouting off to a ­highly discreditable author,” Mr Miller said in a combative CNN ­interview.

“The book is best understood as a work of poorly written fiction. The author is a garbage author of a garbage book ... The betrayal of the President in this book is so contrary to the reality of those who work with him.”

Mr Trump has been stung by Wolff’s depiction of a chaotic ­administration and a President who is mentally unfit for the office.

Mr Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to describe himself as “a very stable genius”.

Yesterday he tweeted: “I’ve had to put up with the fake news from the first day I announced that I would be running for President.

“Now I have to put up with a fake book, written by a totally discredited author.

“Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!”

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia