Bannon: Media should ‘keep its mouth shut’

President Trump’s chief strategist is lashing out at the media, calling the press the true “opposition party” in a combative interview with The New York Times.

“The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile,” Stephen Bannon said in the interview with the Times published on Thursday.

Bannon said the media still fails to understand how Trump rose to victory.

“I want you to quote this,” Bannon told the newspaper, “The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.”

Bannon defended White House press secretary Sean Spicer and his controversial, fiery performance over the weekend in which he accused the media of dishonest inauguration coverage.

Asked by the Times if Spicer lost credibility with the press, Bannon shot back: “Are you kidding me? … We think that’s a badge of honor. ‘Questioning his integrity’ — are you kidding me? The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work.”

“You’re the opposition party,” Bannon reiterated, “Not the Democratic Party. You’re the opposition party. The media’s the opposition party.”

Bannon, a former executive at Breitbart News, does not frequently speak to the press. The Times noted that the interview was initiated by Bannon to offer praise for the press secretary.

Bannon also didn’t miss the chance to blast the Times.

“The paper of record for our beloved republic, The New York Times, should be absolutely ashamed and humiliated. … They got it 100 percent wrong,” he said.