DONALD Trump has attacked his former chief strategist ahead of the release of a book that paints the US president as juvenile and his White House as chaotic.
Mr Trump said that Steve Bannon "has nothing to do with me or my presidency" and added: "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," Mr Trump said.
The statement comes in response to a new book by writer Michael Wolff that offers a series of explosive revelations, including that Mr Trump never expected to win the 2016 presidential race.
Mr Trump seemed most angry at comments made by Mr 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, Mr Bannon described a Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr, Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic".
An excerpt from the book published on Wednesday in New York magazine says Mr Trump believed his presidential nomination would boost his brand and deliver "untold opportunities".
It says Mr Trump Jr told a friend that his father looked as if he had 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.
