CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday thanked former Trump advisor Steve Bannon for praising his recent remarks that the U.S. economy is strong enough for the president to walk away from China trade talks.
Bannon, an ex-White House chief strategist and the former head of far-right Breitbart News, said in a "Squawk Box" interview, "I like quoting a liberal Democrat, some guy named Jim Cramer."
Later in the show, Cramer said he has, indeed, been a liberal Democrat "historically," but argued that's not inconsistent with his current support for President Donald Trump's hard line on China. "My position has been one that is easily articulated from the left side for about 40 years."
"What really matters here to me is trying to bring jobs back. I never thought that was a right-wing issue. So it was a left-wing issue that the right has kind of grudgingly adopted because the right wants profits for companies," the "Mad Money" host said. "So I thank Steve Bannon for recognizing that this is a position that is not a left or right issue. It's an issue about bringing jobs back and taking jobs away from those who took them away from us and debased our American workers."
Earlier, while Bannon was being interviewed, Cramer tweeted his thanks to Bannon "for acknowledging my 'walk away' position on China."
Cramer's and Bannon's remarks on "Squawk Box" on Thursday morning were made before the president tweeted, just after the open on Wall Street, that both Washington and Beijing want a trade agreement and they're getting "VERY close to a BIG DEAL."
Trump's optimism came ahead of an expected Thursday meeting with his top economic advisors on whether to delay the administration's next round of tariffs on Chinese imports. The duties are set to take effect Sunday.
Reacting to the possibility of a deal, CNBC's Carl Quintanilla asked Cramer, on "Squawk on the Street," whether he would be disappointed if an agreement is reached. Cramer said: "Kind of. Yeah. When are you going to take them on?"