White House chief strategist Steve Bannon branded the white nationalists who rallied in Charlottesville as "clowns" on Wednesday, in a phone conversation likened to Anthony Scaramucci's infamous interview with the New Yorker.

In a wide-ranging, unsolicited interview with small left-leaning magazine The American Prospect, the former CEO of right-wing Breitbart News website argued the US was in an "economic war" with China, dismissed Donald Trump's vow to bring down "fire and fury" on North Korea, and talked of daily "fighting" within the government.

Mr Bannon, an economic nationalist, is reported to be on shaky ground with Mr Trump, who gave him only a tepid endorsement this week.

The frank, freewheeling telephone interview drew comparisons with the one Mr Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, gave to the New Yorker shortly before he was fired.

"This isn't as profane as Scaramucci but otherwise it's the same transgression. If he's not fired, he's bulletproof," Washington Post contributor Daniel Drezner tweeted.