Top Trump, Clinton aides escalate into shouting match at Harvard

Top strategists from Clinton’s and Trump’s campaigns gathered at Harvard University Thursday for the first time since the election, in a public event that resulted in a shouting match from both candidates’ representatives.

Stephen K. Bannon — Trump’s appointed chief White House strategist, who has been a source of contentious debate on both sides of the political spectrum — announced Tuesday that he would not be attending the event, which is part of a two-day conference that has existed after every presidential election at Harvard’s Institute of Politics since 1972.

Despite his absence from the event, Bannon still surfaced as a key issue among many audience questions, and he also fueled protesters in Cambridge yesterday.

Clinton strategists also participated in the debate regarding Bannon’s qualifications. Communications director Jennifer Palmieri referenced Bannon’s connection with the alt-right news site Breitbart in her comments against the president’s appointment.

“If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am proud to have lost,” Palmieri said, according to The Washington Post. “I would rather lose than win the way you guys did.”

Kellyanne Conway and Robby Mook, Trump and Clinton’s respective campaign managers, continued to fire attacks at each other throughout the 90-minute session.

“Guys, I can tell you are angry, but wow,” Conway said, according to The Washington Post. “Hashtag he’s your president. How’s that? Will you ever accept the election results? Will you tell your protesters that he’s their president, too?”

Other issues addressed included FBI Director James Comey’s letter regarding Clinton’s emails, Trump’s comments about groping women and the complexities behind many of the voting results, the Harvard Crimson reported.

The entire discussion will air on CNN’s State of the Union with Tapper on December 4.