Updated
President Donald Trump has fired chief strategist
Steve Bannon, ending the turbulent tenure of a rabble-rousing
conservative media entrepreneur and political activist.
Key points:
- Mr Bannon gave an interview earlier this week that was seen to undercut the President
- Critics have long accused Mr Bannon of being anti-Semitic
- Democrats have welcomed Mr Bannon's departure
"White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
"We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."A source familiar with the decision, which had been under consideration for a while, said Mr Bannon had been given an opportunity to depart on his own terms.
"The President made up his mind on it over the past couple of weeks," the source said.
Mr Kelly had been evaluating Mr Bannon's role within the White House.
"They gave him an opportunity to step down knowing that he was going to be forced to," the source said.
Mr Bannon damaged his standing by giving an interview to the liberal American Prospect this week in which he was seen to be undercutting Mr Trump's position on North Korea.
Mr Bannon told associates he thought he was talking to an academic and thought he was off the record.
He had told friends he could go back to the right-wing Breitbart News outlet, which he had headed before he took over as chief of Mr Trump's presidential campaign in August 2016.
Bannon a controversial figure
Mr Bannon was a force behind some of Mr Trump's most contentious policies, including a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority nations, and he had fought with more moderate factions inside a White House riven with rivalries and back-stabbing.Critics have accused Mr Bannon of harbouring anti-Semitic and white nationalist sentiments. Democrats welcomed Mr Bannon's departure.
"There is one less white supremacist in the White House, but that doesn't change the man sitting behind the Resolute desk," Democratic National Committee spokesman Michael Tyler said in a statement, referring to Mr Trump's Oval Office desk.
"Donald Trump has spent decades fuelling hate in communities, including his recent attempts to divide our country and give a voice to white supremacists."
Mr Bannon had been in a precarious position before but Mr Trump opted to keep him, in part because his chief strategist played a major role in his 2016 election victory and was backed by many of the President's most loyal rank-and-file supporters.
The decision to fire Mr Bannon could undermine Mr Trump's support among far-right voters but might ease tensions within the White House and with party leaders.
Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress but have been unable to pass major legislative goals including a healthcare legislation overhaul because of fierce intra-party divisions.
Mr Trump fired Mr Bannon from the White House post one year and one day after he hired the firebrand to head his presidential campaign.
On Tuesday Mr Trump called Mr Bannon "a friend of mine" but downplayed his contribution to his election victory.
"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," Mr Trump said.
"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."
Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign adviser, said Mr Bannon's departure was a sign of Mr Kelly's strength.
"What it means is there is a strong chief of staff and that's good," Mr Bennett said.
"It's not only good. It's needed."
A White House official said it was hoped Mr Bannon's departure would help ease some of the drama that has seized the Trump White House.
Video: Republican leaders angered over Trump's comments (The World)
Reuters
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