Trump blasts Bannon after new book, says he ‘lost his mind’

By Jill Colvin, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday blasted his former chief strategist ahead of the release of a new, unflattering book that paints the president as juvenile and his White House as chaotic.

Trump, in the statement, says that Steve Bannon “has nothing to do with me or my Presidency” and charges that: “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”

“Steve doesn’t represent my base—he’s only in it for himself,” Trump says.

The statement comes in response to a new book by writer Michael Wolff that offers a series of explosive revelations, including that Trump never expected to win the 2016 presidential race.

Trump seemed most angry at comments made by Bannon, first reported by The Guardian, which obtained an early copy of the book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”

According to The Guardian, Bannon described a Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”

An adaptation of the book published Wednesday in New York magazine says Trump believed his presidential nomination would boost his brand and deliver “untold opportunities.”

The excerpt also says Trump Jr. told a friend that Trump looked as if he’d seen a ghost when it became clear he might win and described now-first lady Melania Trump as “in tears — and not of joy.”

The book was based on more than 200 interviews, including conversations with the president and senior staff.