Steve Bannon Out As White House Chief Strategist
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Steve Bannon's time as the White House chief strategist is over.
Bannon was a key adviser to Trump's general election campaign and has been a forceful but contentious presence in a divided White House. The former leader of conservative Breitbart News pushed Trump to follow through with his campaign promises. He's advised the president to take nationalist strategies, such as proposing a trade war with China. He also openly contradicted Trump's North Korea strategy, saying a military option will never work on the Korean Peninsula.
Local Democrats, Republicans Weigh In On Steve Bannon's Departure
But he also sparred with some of Trump's closest advisers, including the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Sources told CBS News that new Chief of Staff John Kelly was eager to clear out what he considered internal West Wing rivalries.
"White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."
As CBS2's Weijia Jiang reported, shortly after the election, Bannon described himself as part of a new political order.
"If you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken. Every day it is going to be a fight," he said.
Bannon spoke to the Weekly Standard just after his departure.
"The Trump presidency that we fought for and won is over...We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this," he said.
Bannon has already returned to Breitbart as its executive chairman, the site announced Friday evening.
Trump and senior officials at the White House have been debating when to get rid of Bannon and how, The New York Times said, according to two administration officials. A person close to Bannon said him leaving was his idea, that report said, and that he had actually submitted his resignation to Trump on Aug. 7. The report added that his departure was supposed to be revealed publicly at the beginning of the week, but the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, forced the White House to hold off.
At his news conference at Trump Tower earlier this week, Trump was asked if he has confidence in Bannon.
"Well, we'll see. ... Look, look, I like Mr. Bannon," Trump said. "He is a friend of mine. Mr. Bannon came on very late. You know that. I went through 17 senators, governors, and I won all the primaries. Mr. Bannon came on very much later than that. And I like him. He is a good man. He is not a racist. I can tell you that. He is a good person. He actually gets a very unfair press in that regard. We'll see what happens with Mr. Bannon. He is a good person, and I think the press treats him, frankly, very unfairly."
Bannon is the eighth senior official to exit the White House since Trump took office.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
