20 August, 2017
President Donald Trump's embattled chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon left his post at the White House on Friday, in the latest high-profile shake-up for the administration.
"I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service". "He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great!"
Politico reports Bannon told associates he still plans to play a big role in this stage of the Trump presidency, even though he's outside the White House.
Breitbart confirmed the "populist hero" is returning to the news outlet where he will resume his executive chairman duties.
Ousted White House chief strategist and liver spot Steve Bannon is setting the record straight about his removal from the Trump administration. It'll be something else.
Mr Bannon was the driving force behind some of the Trump administration's most contentious campaign promises, including a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority nations and the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement, tearing up global trade agreements and cracking down on illegal immigration.
His departure comes just seven months after Trump took office and three weeks after retired General Kelly took over as Chief of Staff, looking to instil order in a chaotic White House beset by internal divisions, staff infighting and a storm of controversies.
A champion of economic nationalism and a political provocateur, Bannon, 63, is a former US Navy officer, Goldman Sachs investment banker and Hollywood movie producer.
Trump hinted again at firing Bannon outright earlier this week at a press conference where he insisted Bannon was "not a racist", but refused to guarantee his job security. The ideas that Trump sold and his supporters bought are unlikely to turn into actions, according to Bannon. "I've got my hands back on my weapons", he said, "it's Bannon the Barbarian".
Bannon told Bloomberg's Joshua Green that he was prepared to "go to war" for President Trump.
The statement from the White House makes little attempt to disguise what has just happened.
Bannon was sacked on Friday and just hours after his ouster, Breitbart News announced that he was back as executive chairman of the ultra-conservative website.
Bannon said he resigned voluntarily. "And anyone who stands in our way, we will go to war with".
