By ,
Published April 12, 2017
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tried Wednesday to knock down reports that President Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, had fallen out of favor, telling Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" that the president "values Steve's commitment to the team."
Spicer spoke after Trump told the New York Post, "I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late."
TRUMP DOWNPLAYS BANNON'S CAMPAIGN ROLE AMID REPORTS OF INFIGHTING
The president also told columist Michael Goodwin that he had instructed Bannon and adviser Jared Kushner to work out their reported differences, saying, "Steve is a good guy, but I told them to straighten it out or I will."
Spicer told host Dana Perino, herself a former White House press secretary, that Trump "wants to make sure that everybody understands [that] the policies that this president is now espousing ... are policies that he’s held for in some cases, two, three, four decades. And I think the line may have been blurred a little bit.
"He wanted to make it very clear, but at the same express confidence in the team that’s here and the talent that he has assembled," Spicer added.
Spicer also addressed his now-infamous remark Tuesday that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons against his own people, a statement for which he later apologized.
SPICER APOLOGIZES FOR HITLER COMMENTS
"It was just unfortunate that my mistake helped create a distraction from the great work that [Trump's] doing for this country and frankly throughout the world," Spicer said. "My job is to help do what I can to advance this thing, not get in the way of it. Unfortunately, yesterday I did just that."
Spicer said he had spoken to Trump about his comment, but did not specify what the president had told him.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/spicer-trump-values-bannons-commitment-to-the-team