Donald Trump defended his embattled adviser Steve Bannon in a meeting with the New York Times on Tuesday, saying he wouldn’t have hired him if he believed Bannon to be racist.
Speaking to the paper at an on-the-record meeting that was live-tweeted by Times reporters, Trump said the criticism Bannon has received for giving a platform to the “alt-right” movement through Breitbart News was unfair.
Trump sought to diminish concerns about Breitbart’s “alt-right” bent, describing it as “just a publication” that leans conservative.
Bannon served as campaign chairman for Trump and was one of his first hires as president-elect, joining the White House team as chief strategist.
He is a controversial figure, formerly serving as chairman of Breitbart News, a right-wing website that has been embraced by the “alt-right.”
There has been an uproar over his position within the White House, which has provoked an outcry from some who have called him a white nationalist, a racist and an anti-Semite.
Trump’s transition team has repeatedly defended Bannon, arguing critics are unfairly depicting him.