White House chief strategist Steve Bannon steps down
Aug 18, 2017, 10:11 AM | Updated: 11:45 am
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is leaving his post, a spokeswoman for President Donald Trump confirmed Friday.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was Bannon’s last day on the job.
“We are grateful for his service and wish him the best,” she said in a statement, confirming reports of Bannon’s departure.
BREAKING: Steve Bannon out as White House chief strategist, @ABC News has learned. https://t.co/n7TqA3E2wo pic.twitter.com/eeH3TRHBoO
— ABC News (@ABC) August 18, 2017
BREAKING: Source: Trump adviser Steve Bannon is leaving White House post.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 18, 2017
The controversial Bannon, who was said to have resigned, was a key adviser to President Donald Trump’s general election campaign. He had been a forceful but contentious presence in the White House.
The move comes days after an interview in which Bannon, the former chief executive at Breitbart News, criticized some of the White House staff, going on to say, “They’re wetting themselves,” adding detail on how he would get foes at the State Department of Defense Department fired.
In that interview, he also referred to the far-right faction of the Republican Party as a “fringe element” and “losers.”
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told reporters at Trump Tower that Bannon was a “good man” but the New York Times wrote that Trump was deciding whether to relieve him of his duties.
The former leader of conservative Breitbart News pushed Trump to follow through with his campaign promises. But he’s also sparred with some of Trump’s closest advisers, including son-in-law Jared Kushner.
It’s the latest move in White House staff turnover. In recent weeks, chief of staff Reince Priebus, communications chief Anthony Scaramucci and press secretary Sean Spicer have left.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
