‘Maniacal’ focus on China takes Trump aide past mainstream

WASHINGTON – Steve Bannon isn’t alone in pondering a possibly generation-defining question for America: China’s emerging superpower status.

But his call for an “economic war” on the Asian nation puts him far outside the mainstream.

President Donald Trump’s chief strategist says the U.S. should be “maniacally focused” on the confrontation with Beijing, in an interview that shows his fringe views extend far beyond immigration and race.

His comments to The American Prospect reflect sentiments that Trump himself has channeled, on the need to narrow the vast U.S. trade deficit with China and bring manufacturing jobs back to America.

But it also deepened perceptions of a U.S. administration at war with itself.

He questioned U.S. military options on North Korea and talked about purging rivals who supposedly resist getting tough on China.