Bannon says he still talks to Trump frequently

by Olivia Beavers - 09/12/17 11:21 AM ET

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon says he is in regular contact with President Trump following his shocking departure from the West Wing last month.

During a visit to Hong Kong on Tuesday, Bannon told a private lunchtime gathering that he speaks to Trump every couple of days and that he last spoke to the president for an hour the night before, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing two people who attended the meeting.

{mosads} The closed-door gathering reportedly took place at the Grand Hyatt hotel restaurant, with about 20 money managers attending.

The Journal was not immediately able to reach Bannon for comment.

Just one day earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters she believes Bannon and Trump have only had only “one conservation, but I don’t think anything beyond that since he left.”

Her statement appears to be at odds with Bannon’s claims of constant contact.

The White House did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment on Bannon’s remarks.

Bannon was ousted from his top White House role in August, three weeks after Trump tapped Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to serve as his chief of staff.

Once one of the most controversial staffers to serve in the Trump administration, the anti-establishment and nationalist ideologue has since returned to his role as executive chairman of Breitbart News, a position he held prior to joining Trump’s presidential campaign.

Operating on the outside, the former adviser to the president is reportedly leading the charge to set up primary challenges against Republican lawmakers who have crossed the Trump administration.

Tags John Kelly