This article is more than 2 years old.

February 23, 2017 This article is more than 2 years old.

The top two aides to US president Donald Trump have been trying to show the world that, despite reports about their “war for the White House,” they’re actually really, really good buddies.

Chief of staff Reince Priebus and senior advisor Steve Bannon made the latest stop on their friendship tour today at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Priebus called Bannon “my dear friend.” They talked about how they “share an office suite together,” only to have moderator Matt Schlapp reveal that this just means their offices “are very close to each other.”

Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich stepped in on Twitter in case anyone had missed the subtlety of the message.

The charade, however, could stretch only so far. When Bannon attempted to a fraternal pat on Priebus’ knee, the dapper and normally composed chief of staff seemed to react with palpable revulsion: