Bannon tries to make amends as aides defend Trump’s health

WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon is looking to make amends.

President Donald Trump’s veteran chief strategist launched an announcement Sunday reaffirming his make stronger for the commander in chief and praising Trump’s eldest son as « each a patriot and a correct man. »

Bannon infuriated Trump with comments to creator Michael Wolff describing a June 2016 assembly at Trump Tower in Novel York between Donald Trump Jr., Trump advertising and marketing and marketing and marketing campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as « treasonous » and « unpatriotic. »

Bannon stated his description used to be aimed at veteran Trump advertising and marketing and marketing and marketing campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who also attended the assembly, and now not Trump’s son.

« I remorse that my delay in responding to the unsuitable reporting in relation to Don Jr has diverted attention from the president’s historic accomplishments within the first 300 and sixty five days of his presidency, » per the snarl, first received by the files situation Axios. Bannon stated his make stronger for Trump and his agenda used to be « unwavering. »

Hours sooner than the snarl came out, administration officers historic appearances on the Sunday files reveals to rally within the again of Trump and test out to undermine Wolff’s « Fire and Fury: Within the Trump White Home » which portrays the forty fifth president as a frontrunner who does now not sign the weight of his space of work and whose competence is questioned by aides.

Chief coverage adviser Stephen Miller, in a combative look on CNN, described the book as « nothing nonetheless a pile of trash thru and thru. »

He also criticized Bannon, who’s quoted at size by Wolff, announcing it used to be « tragic and unlucky » that Bannon « would make these grotesque comments so out of contact with fact and clearly so vindictive. »

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who stated Trump used to be « fully fit » to lead the nation, stated he paused sooner than answering as a result of it used to be such « a ludicrous query. »

« These are from folks that correct possess now not permitted the truth that President Trump is the USA president and I’m sorry for them and that, » Pompeo knowledgeable « Fox News Sunday. » He provides Trump his regular intelligence briefings.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United International locations, stated that she is at the White Home once per week, and « no person questions the steadiness of the president. »

« I’m continuously amazed at the lengths of us will scoot to, to lie for money and for vitality. Here’s like taking it to a entire unusual low, » she knowledgeable ABC’s « This Week. »

To Miller, « the portrayal of the president within the book is so contrary to fact, to the abilities of parents that work with him. »

Miller’s interview on CNN’s « Inform of the Union » rapidly grew heated, with Miller criticizing CNN’s coverage and moderator Jake Tapper urgent Miller to answer to his questions.

Tapper ended the interview, announcing: « I assume I’ve wasted sufficient of my viewers’ time. »

Soon after, Trump tweeted: « Jake Tapper of Fraudulent News CNN correct got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Compare the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky! »

Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to defend his health for space of work, insisting he is « like, in actuality dapper » and, indeed, a « very stable genius. » He pressed the case again on Sunday as he spirited to leave Camp David for the White Home.

« I’ve needed to effect up with the Fraudulent News from the first day I announced that I’m able to be working for President. Now I in actuality decide to effect up with a Fraudulent E book, written by a truly discredited creator, » he tweeted.

Wolff’s book draws a derogatory portrait of Trump as an undisciplined man-dinky one who did now not in actuality decide to protect the White Home and who spends his evenings ingesting cheeseburgers in mattress, staring at television and talking on the phone to historic associates.

The book also quotes Bannon and a spread of prominent advisers as questioning the president’s competence.

Chatter about Trump’s mental health for space of work has intensified in most up-to-date months on cable files reveals and among Democrats in Congress.

White Home spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders this previous week known as such suggestions « disgraceful and silly. »

« If he used to be unfit, he doubtlessly would now not be sitting there and would now not possess defeated basically the most favorable group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen, » she stated, calling him « an incredibly stable and correct leader. »

Trump and some aides possess attacked Wolff’s credibility, pointing to the truth that the book contains a necessity of correct errors and denying that the creator had as unparalleled get admission to as he claimed.

« He stated he interviewed me for three hours within the White Home. It did now not exist, OK? Or now not it’s in his creativeness, » Trump stated Saturday.

Wolff knowledgeable NBC on Sunday that « I in actuality hold now not decide to claim the president is a liar, » nonetheless that he had indeed spoken with Trump for roughly three hours for the length of and for the rationale that advertising and marketing and marketing and marketing campaign.

Trump has many situations invoked Ronald Reagan, tweeting Sunday that the veteran president « had the identical peril and handled it successfully. So will I! »

Reagan died in 2004, at age ninety three, from pneumonia complicated by the Alzheimer’s illness that had progressively clouded his thoughts. At situations when he used to be president, Reagan seemed forgetful and would lose his practice of idea while talking.

Scientific doctors, on the opposite hand, stated Alzheimer’s used to be now to now not blame, noting the illness used to be identified years after he left space of work. Reagan announced his prognosis in a letter to the American of us in 1994, more than five years after leaving the White Home.

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Related Press creator Hope Yen contributed to this file. Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj