In what appears to have been one of the worst weeks for the Trump Administration, Chief Strategist and top presidential advisor Steve Bannon is out of the White House following a tumultuous week.
The move is said to have been a mutual agreement between the new Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly and Mr. Bannon, that today would be his last working day.
Steve Bannon was the most powerful Conservative voice in the White House and close ally of the President. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement saying, “White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve’s last day. We are grateful for his service and wish him the best.”
Mr. Bannon’s departure comes 2 days after a controversial wide-ranging interview with The American Prospect where he ruffled some feathers by contradicting and undermining the President on his North Korea foreign policy strategy in public.
Steve Bannon who has been a controversial figure was removed from his position as White House Chief Strategist on Friday 18 August 2017. Credit: Getty Images
The departure also comes barely a month after General John Kelly was hired as the new Chief of Staff with a mandate to bring order to what appears to be a chaotic White House. His first move was firing Anthony Scaramucci as Communications Director after just 10 days on the post.
Gen. Kelly who is said to be wrapping up a review of the West Wing staff is the one who made the decision to let go of the former Breitbart Editor who had the President’s ear and who is also seen as the voice of the Conservative wing of the Republican party which strongly backed and still backs President Trump.
New Chief of Staff Rtd. Marine General John F. McMaster is now seen as the most powerful person in the White House. Credit: Reuters
Mr. Bannon who submitted his resignation to the President on 7 August is said to have been at loggerheads with Trump once but often clashed with other White House staff.
Calls for Steve Bannon’s dismissal became louder after speculation grew that he may have been the person behind damaging leaks from the White House and for trashing his colleagues in the press. However, calls reached a new level after a White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one woman dead and 20 others injured.
To Democrats, progressives, the Alt-Left and the media, Steve Bannon has always been labelled the father of the “Alt-Right” movement, a White Supremacist and has been presented as the power behind the President’s agenda. So far, there is no known evidence to support the accusations.
Steve Bannon who has total disgust for “globalists” has become more powerful on the inside than inside. Steve Bannon (R), Gary Cohn (C) and Jared Kushner (L) who is Ivanka Trump’s husband. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Although Mr. Bannon came at the end of the Presidential campaign after Trump had already won the GOP primaries, he is credited with bringing organizational structure to the campaign which eventually led to him winning the Presidency.
As news of his departure broke out, 19 very influential Conservative groups sent a letter to President Trump affirming Mr. Bannon’s value in “keeping your agenda front and centre.” They were also concerns about the departure and the fate of the few remaining Conservatives within the Administration including Kellyanne Conway.
Rick Manning, President of Americans for Limited Government who signed the letter said that Conservatives were disappointed with the dismissal of Bannon.
“Steve Bannon is and has been a critical part of the Trump Administration’s many successes. There’s obviously some concern that there won’t be an effective counterweight to the Gary Cohns,” read the letter.
“Our encouragement to [Mr. Trump] would be to make certain that there is somebody close to him who shares his philosophy and understands his key issues and how they translated to the American people.”
Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon before President Trump’s inauguration. Credit: Reuters/Joshua Roberts
With speculation growing that Mr. Bannon would now go after the President from the outside, his camp reached out to Fox News to dismiss any such claims saying that Mr. Bannon will “100% have the President’s back.”
Bannon also sent a message through Bloomberg’s Joshua Green who posted remnants of it on Twitter:
“If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up,” said Bannon to Green. “I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents – on Capitol Hill, in the media and in corporate America.”
While Steve Bannon’s departure from the White House will certainly be celebrated by the Democrats, media, progressives, Alt-Left groups and establishment politicians, they should not be so quick to rejoice.
Steve Bannon statement to Bloomberg’s Joshua Green. Credit: Twitter/Joshua Green
Steve Bannon statement to Bloomberg’s Joshua Green. Credit: Twitter/Joshua Green
Bannon may be out but he will not be silenced as rumours are swirling that he will be returning to his biggest platform, Breitbart News, or start something bigger in the media.
For a brilliant strategist who has absolute distaste for the political establishment, the media and corporate America, Steve Bannon now has the biggest bully pulpit to go after his “enemies” from the outside, not the inside. They should be very afraid.
Major stocks responded by gaining 2 points at the news of the dismissal of Bannon, a sign that they welcome his departure from the White House and the new changes within the Trump Administration.
Published at 12:30 pm on Friday 18 August, 2017 and updated at 6:50 pm. EST
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