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Steve Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump's new chief strategist, managed to make Trump sound like the voice of moderation during an interview with the alt-right hub Breitbart that aired before he was hired by the campaign.


In a long, circle-jerky conversation with the billionaire, which the Washington Post resurfaced on Tuesday night, Bannon repeatedly praised Trump and shied away from any disagreements that arose.

But during an exchange about immigration, Trump ruffled Bannon's feathers when he voiced concerns about foreign Ivy Leaguers who might be forced to leave the country if immigration laws changed.


Here's their full exchange, via the Post:



“We have to be careful of that, Steve. You know, we have to keep our talented people in this country,” Trump said. He paused. Bannon said, “Um.” “I think you agree with that,” Trump said. “Do you agree with that?” Bannon was hesitant. “When two-thirds or three-quarters of the CEOs in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia, I think . . . ” Bannon said, not finishing the sentence. “A country is more than an economy. We’re a civic society.”

It was a bizarre remark, even from a cargo-shorts-wearing white nationalist who ran a site chock full of what he called "know-nothing vulgarians."

A study published last year found that, while Asian-Americans are fairly well represented in the lower echelons of the tech world, less than one-fifth are managers, and just 14% are executives. Those numbers are even worse for Asian-American women, where 1 out of every 285 is a tech executive.


It's not surprising that the Seinfeld-made millionaire would butcher facts in blind pursuit of some vague, racist point, but it should further fuel the fire for those calling for Bannon to be kept out of the White House.