Trump rips 'Crooked Hillary' in awkward Twitter farewell to Bannon

President Donald Trump continued his trend of Saturday morning tweetstorms by paying tribute to ousted chief strategist Steve Bannon -- and bashing Hillary Clinton.

"I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service," Trump tweeted. "He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great! Thanks."

The author of "Devil's Bargain" -- the bestselling book on Bannon and Trump -- reported Trump has been trying to contact Bannon since White House chief of staff John Kelly informed the former campaign executive his service was no longer needed.

"Trump was criticized on TV tonight for his silence on Bannon's departure. Three sources tell me Trump tried calling Bannon," reporter Joshua Green tweeted. "They haven't spoken."

Trump's "Crooked Hillary" nickname was a mainstay of last year's presidential campaign. Yet Trump retired many of the nicknames he used upon taking office and is no longer constantly referring to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx) as "Lying Ted" or using "Little Marco" to insult Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).