Trump coins new nickname for Bannon: 'Sloppy Steve'

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Joining the esteemed ranks of Little Marco, Low Energy Jeb, Crooked Hillary, and Lyin' Ted is Sloppy Steve.

The nickname was bestowed upon Stephen Bannon by President Trump in a Thursday night tweet, which targeted not just his former chief strategist but also Michael Wolff, author of the upcoming book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Fire and Fury contains page after page of explosive quotes, including Bannon saying the Russia investigators will "crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV."

"I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book!" Trump tweeted. "I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!" Wolff — who stands by his reporting and said he has tapes of Bannon and other officials making their comments — was granted a blue badge by the Secret Service that gave him entrance to the West Wing, but the White House says it was Bannon — excuse me, Sloppy Steve — who signed off on most of his access.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.