Steve Bannon is hurting Trump's agenda, says ex-aide Anthony Scaramucci

Eliza Collins | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Anthony Scaramucci criticizes Trump President Trump’s former communications director Anthony Scaramucci reacts to Trump's statement on the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

President Trump’s former communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Sunday that Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s influence in the White House is hurting Trump’s legislative agenda.

“You also got this sort of Bannon-bart influence in there, which I think is a snag on the president,” Scamucci said Sunday on ABC's This Week, referencing Bannon's past job as the head of the nationalist website Breitbart News. “If the president really wants to execute (his) legislative agenda that, I think, is so promising for the American people, the lower-middle class people and the middle class people, then he has to move away from that sort of Bannon-bart nonsense.”

“The whole thing is nonsensical. It's not serving the president's interests. He's got to move more into the mainstream,” Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci, who held the position as Trump’s top spokesman for 11 days, gave ABC his first interview since he was fired at the end of July by Gen. John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff.

Scaramucci offered his comments about Bannon in the context of President Trump's response to violence that erupted over a white nationalist rally Saturday. Scaramucci said Trump should have more directly blamed white nationalists.

While Trump has condemned the violence Saturday where one person was killed and multiple were injured, he blamed it on “many sides.”

Scaramucci said he “wouldn't have recommended that statement. I think he needed to be much harsher as it related to the white supremacists and the nature of that.”

“He's not a racist but I think that there’s no need to go in that direction when you have this phenomenal legislative agenda,” Scaramucci said in a Facebook Live interview with ABC later Sunday morning.

Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked if Trump should fire Bannon and Scaramucci responded: “I think the president knows what he's going to do with Steve Bannon.”

Is Steve Bannon the next to be ousted from the White House? There's reports suggesting Steve Bannon could be on thin ice with Trump. Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) reports what we know.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Scaramucci's interview.

Later Sunday, Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster — who has been on the receiving end of criticism from Breitbart and Bannon allies — repeatedly deflected questions on NBC’s Meet the Press about whether he could work with Bannon in the White House.

“I am ready to work with anybody who will help advance the president's agenda and advance the security, prosperity of the American people,” McMaster said.

More: Anthony Scaramucci is out. Here are 9 other people who also left their jobs under Trump

Scaramucci calls Priebus 'paranoid schizophrenic' in expletive-filled rant to reporter