Bannon Out at the Trump White House

Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is no longer with the Trump Administration. Officially, President Trump has accepted his resignation.  Fox News has reported that Bannon actually submitted his resignation two weeks ago, just days after John Kelly became White House Chief of Staff. Banon had been waiting to hear his fate, which apparently was in Kelly’s hands alone.

According to Newsmax, Trump was furious over statements Bannon had made contradicting Trump’s policies. Specifically, Bannon told leftist American Prospect that there is “no military solution” to North Korea. Since Trump had left open the possibility of military action, a statement like this from a key strategist undermined U.S. negotiation positions in the regions.

According to the Washington Post, Bannon had called the American Prospect to talk about China policy, and he believed the conversation was off-the-record.

Bannon has been a controversial presence in the White House, rumors of his combativeness with other staff have been widely circulated.  However, he is credited with pushing Trump to follow through on his campaign promises, including the travel ban, and our withdrawal from the Paris agreement.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary announced, “White House Chief of Staff John F. 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.”

Trump commented, “I like Mr. Bannon, he’s a friend of mine. I like him. He’s a good man. He’s not a racist … but we’ll see what happens with Mr. Bannon.”

According to TheHill.com, a senior administration official said, “Steve Bannon was integral to Trump’s victory last November.  the president built his own platform, but Steve translated it into policy. He’s the man that most embodies the base outside of the president. He’s the highest-level expression of the platform that got the president elected, and the president knows that.”

Bannon has had his impact, no doubt.