Story highlights President Donald Trump said Steve Bannon had nothing do with initial statement

The chief strategist for the White House is under sharp scrutiny

New York (CNN) President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to offer reassurances about the fate of chief strategist Steve Bannon inside the White House.

"We'll see," Trump said during an impromptu news conference at Trump Tower when asked about whether Bannon would remain in his position as one of his top advisers.

"I like Mr. Bannon. He's a friend of mine," Trump said. "He's a good person and I think the press treats him, frankly, very unfairly."

Trump also insisted that Bannon had nothing to do with his own initial response to the violent confrontations and car attack sparked by a white supremacist rally that took place Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"I never spoke to Mr. Bannon about it," Trump said, seeking to quiet suspicions that his chief strategist influenced his decision to not directly condemn white nationalists by name in his remarks Saturday.

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