Former president Donald Trump's decision to abruptly cancel his Jan. 6 counter-programming event has left key allies Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon fuming.
Responding to reports that Trump was pressured into canceling by several allies in his inner circle, the pair suggested the ex-president is surrounded by insufficiently pro-MAGA individuals, and that he should put his once-slated presser back on the books immediately.
“There are still too many people around Donald John Trump that are not Trumpers,” Navarro complained Wednesday morning on Bannon's WarRoom: Pandemic podcast. “Bad personnel is bad policy is bad politics,” he continued. “He is surrounded by people who just go against his gut, and he just doesn't trust his gut.”
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The press conference was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon, on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which violently attempted to overthrow the 2020 election on Trump’s behalf.
The event was set to be held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, but was suddenly canceled on Tuesday afternoon. “In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the Jan 6 Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, Jan 15, in Arizona—It will be a big crowd!" Trump wrote in a statement.
However, further reporting from Axios later revealed that the ex-president was pressured by several informal advisers, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to nix the counter-programming.
“The person who should be holding a press conference tomorrow, above anybody, pounding on the frickin’ table—particularly given [the] cesspool in Georgia, the cesspool of Arizona—is Donald John Trump,” Navarro complained, referring to the surreptitiously filmed videos that fueled the baseless allegations of widespread fraud even in Republican-leaning states.
“Trump, Trump, Trump,” Bannon interjected.
“He needs to stand up for himself,” Navarro continued. “And fire half the people down there, by the way!”
“Call the press conference,” Bannon urged Trump while telling the ex-president not to listen to guidance from Ingraham or Graham, “and let’s play the tape from Georgia.”
