Analysis Is Steve Bannon being thrown under the bus? These strange comments from Trump sure sound like it

We don’t yet know what Stephen Bannon’s fate in the Trump White House is. But judging by US President Donald Trump’s own words, it doesn’t sound particularly good.

In a brief exchange with the New York Post’s Michael Goodwin on Tuesday, Trump seemed to deliberately place Bannon at arm’s length, suggesting his role as an adviser has been oversold and even appearing to threaten Bannon’s job.

Goodwin says he asked Trump if he still has confidence in Bannon, his chief strategist, who is reportedly feuding with Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. And Trump didn’t exactly disabuse Goodwin of the idea that Bannon is embattled. In fact, he did quite the opposite.

“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump said. “I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist, and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.”

Ouch. Bannon joined the campaign in August for the lion’s share of the general election, taking on the role of campaign CEO. He and Kellyanne Conway, the campaign manager, were the titular heads of the campaign. Trump then kept Bannon on as his chief political adviser in the White House, serving alongside chief of staff Reince Priebus.

In his comments to Goodwin, Trump also nodded to the tensions that exist in the White House and appeared to place the onus on Bannon to make things right - or else.