Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to President Trump, has stepped down from Breitbart, the far-right website he returned to over the summer as executive chairman after being ousted from the White House.

The website announced the news Tuesday afternoon in a short article posted to the site.

“I’m proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform,” Bannon is quoted as saying in the article.

Neither Bannon nor a spokesperson for Breitbart immediately responded to a request for comment.

Bannon drew the ire of the White House last week when The Guardian revealed that author Michael Wolff quoted him in his book “Fire and Fury” as saying a Trump Tower meeting involving Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign was “unpatriotic” and perhaps “treasonous.”

Trump responded at the time by slamming Bannon in a fiery statement, saying Bannon had “lost his mind.” </s> NEW YORK, United States — US President Donald Trump’s former White House strategist Steve Bannon has stepped down from Breitbart News, the conservative news outlet announced Tuesday, amid controversy over his incendiary comments about the president quoted in a new book.

The reported remarks used in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” — an explosive behind-the-scenes account that questions the president’s fitness for office — have led to a very public split with Trump.

Bannon has been abandoned by financial patrons, condemned by erstwhile political allies and ridiculed by Trump himself over his comments, which he has not denied making but has since tried to walk back.

“I’m proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform,” Bannon said in a statement carried on Breitbart’s website.

“Steve is a valued part of our legacy, and we will always be grateful for his contributions, and what he has helped us to accomplish,” Breitbart CEO Larry Solov said.

Bannon and Breitbart will work together on a smooth and orderly transition, the news site added.

Bannon had served as Breitbart’s executive chairman since 2012. During his time at the White House, he took a leave of absence from his duties with the news outlet. </s> Steve Bannon has stepped down as executive chairman of Breitbart News Network. The move comes days after President Donald Trump lashed out at Bannon for comments made in Michael Wolff’s new book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.” (Published Tuesday, Jan 9, 2018)

Steve Bannon has stepped down as executive chairman of Breitbart News Network. The move comes days after President Donald Trump lashed out at Bannon... See More </s> President Trump is cheering his former chief strategist Steve Bannon's return to leading the influential conservative media outlet Breitbart News after his forced resignation from the White House.

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Trump tweeted from his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club Saturday that Bannon may be "even better than ever before" in his return to Breitbart.

Steve Bannon will be a tough and smart new voice at @BreitbartNews...maybe even better than ever before. Fake News needs the competition! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2017

The White House has not said whether President Trump and Bannon have spoken since Bannon was forced to resign from his post Friday as chief strategist.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the departure, effective Friday, was "mutually agreed" upon by Bannon and Chief of Staff John Kelly.

"We are grateful for his service and wish him the best," Sanders said in a statement to ABC News.

A source close to Trump told ABC News it was ultimately the president's decision to dismiss Bannon. The message was delivered this morning from Kelly, who was with the president at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. Bannon was at the White House when he received the call that it was time for him to leave.

Bannon had submitted a letter of resignation to the president earlier this month with an effective date of Monday, Aug. 14, according to sources close to both Bannon and Trump. But amid the fallout from Trump's controversial response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend and earlier this week, Bannon's Aug. 14 resignation date came and went as the president considered Bannon's future, sources said. Meanwhile, several top Trump aides continued to make the case that he needed to go.

Prior to joining the Trump administration, Bannon served as executive chairman of Breitbart News. On Friday evening, in the top story on its homepage, Breitbart announced Bannon's return to the media company to again serve as executive chairman.

"'Populist Hero’ Stephen K. Bannon Returns Home to Breitbart," reads the headline.

Bannon has clashed with virtually every top official in the White House. Atop his list of in-house detractors were senior adviser Jared Kushner, national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster and Chief of Staff Kelly.

One of McMaster's first moves was to remove Bannon from his seat at the National Security Council, a move that angered him. And his appointment as the council's chief political strategist was hugely controversial when it was first announced via executive order at the start of the administration.

Over the weekend, McMaster refused to say whether he would continue to work with Bannon.

Bannon joined the Trump campaign in August. He would become known as a fearless and critically influential adviser to the president, but has now become the latest high-profile aide to leave the White House. On July 21, press secretary Sean Spicer resigned, followed by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was fired a few days later, serving just 11 days in that role.

On Tuesday, the president told reporters at Trump Tower that Bannon was a "good man” and “not a racist.”

"I like Mr. Bannon. He's a friend of mine. But 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," Trump said before adding, "but we'll see what happens with Mr. Bannon."

Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with Bannon in recent weeks, according to one senior White House official, and dissatisfaction from within Trump's inner circle was compounded Wednesday by his interview in American Prospect magazine, in which he seemed to undercut the president on North Korea.

"There's no military solution here, they got us," Bannon told the magazine.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Bannon confirmed rumors shared with ABC News by a source close to the former chief strategist that he would continue to work in the president's interests.

"If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: 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,” Bannon told Bloomberg News.

After news of Bannon's demise first went viral, Breitbart's editor tweeted an ominous message: "#WAR." </s> Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to President Trump, has stepped down from Breitbart, the far-right website he returned to over the summer as executive chairman after being ousted from the White House.

The website announced the news Tuesday afternoon in a short article posted to the site.

"I'm proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform," Bannon is quoted as saying in the article.

Neither Bannon nor a spokesperson for Breitbart immediately responded to a request for comment.

Addressing staffers in the company's internal Slack channels, Breitbart CEO Larry Solov wrote, "Steve Bannon has decided to step down from Breitbart News Network. Steve is a valued part of our legacy, and we will always be grateful for his contributions, and what he helped us to accomplish. ... We will continue doing what we do as well as anybody in the world, and that is report the news."

A Breitbart employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, told CNN that "everyone seems stunned."

Bannon took over at Breitbart after founder Andrew Breitbart passed away suddenly in 2012. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Bannon has worked as an investment banker and dabbled in the film industry. But he really rose to public prominence when Trump named him CEO of his campaign in the summer of 2016. From there, he followed Trump to the White House, serving as chief strategist for much of 2017 before being ousted and returning to Breitbart.

But Bannon drew the ire of the White House last week when The Guardian revealed that author Michael Wolff quoted him in his book "Fire and Fury" as saying a Trump Tower meeting involving Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign was "unpatriotic" and perhaps "treasonous."

Trump responded at the time by slamming him in a fiery statement, saying Bannon had "lost his mind."

Bannon's comments also threw his future at Breitbart into question.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN last week that there was a "hard push" to convince Solov and Susie Breitbart, the widow of the website's founder, to fire Bannon.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Breitbart's board members were debating whether or not to oust Bannon, and last Thursday afternoon Rebekah Mercer, the conservative mega-donor who owns a stake in Breitbart, publicly rebuked Bannon in a rare public statement.

"I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Mercer said in the statement, which was provided to The Washington Post. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements." </s> Steve Bannon, the former right-hand man to US president Donald Trump, is set to visit Zurich in March at the invitation of conservative Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche, the publication’s editor revealed on Wednesday.

The nationalist American media executive will speak on March 6th about his time in Trump’s White House, Weltwoche editor-in-chief and member of Switzerland’s right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) Roger Köppel announced on Facebook.

The location of the event – Bannon’s first such public appearance in Europe – has not yet been revealed. Anyone hoping to attend will have to register in advance with registrations opening on February 20th.

Bannon co-founded the far-right US news site Breitbart but in August 2016 he gave up his position as executive chairman of the company to run Trump’s presidential campaign during its final stages.

He was then appointed White House Chief Strategist – a move criticised by both the political left and elements within the Republican establishment concerned about his background with the ultra-conservative Breitbart News.

But Bannon lasted only seven months in the newly-created position and was sacked after allegedly falling out with both the US president, members of the Trump family and other key figures in the West Wing.

He then returned to Breitbart only to be pushed out in January in the wake of allegations in his book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that Donald Trump Jr had participated in a “treasonous” meeting with a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer. </s> Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump's chief strategist, has become the latest high-profile figure in the administration whose role has come to an abrupt end.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckerby Sanders confirmed that Bannon would no longer be showing up to work.

"White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day," Sanders said in a statement on Friday. "We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."

The New York Times earlier reported what it termed as an apparent dismissal, citing sources.

The development comes as the White House reels from the fallout over Trump's response to a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville on August 12.

The former head of far-right outlet Breitbart News is described as being the nucleus of one of several competing power centres in what has been a chaotic White House.

He repeatedly clashed with other top White House advisers and often ran afoul of the president himself.

Bannon offered his resignation to Trump on August 7, according to one person close to the adviser, AP reported.

The resignation was to go into effect a week later, August 14, which was the one year anniversary of when he officially joined Trump's presidential campaign.

It was then held back a few days after the violence in Charlottesville.

But Bannon had been on shaky ground for weeks, and his standing appeared in jeopardy when Trump's new chief of staff, Kelly, embarked on a personnel review of West Wing staff.

Kelly had indicated to aides that significant changes could be coming, according to an official familiar with Kelly's plans but not authorised to speak publicly.

READ MORE: Stephen Bannon and the old/new anti-Semitism

The president had also repeatedly diminished Bannon's role in his campaign in recent remarks and refused to express confidence during an impromptu news conference Tuesday.

"He's a good person. He actually gets very unfair press in that regard," Trump said. "But we'll see what happens with Mr. Bannon."

The decision whether to drop Bannon was more than just a personnel matter. The media guru is viewed in some circles as Trump's connection to his base and the protector of Trump's disruptive, conservative agenda.

"It's a tough pill to swallow if Steve is gone because you have a Republican West Wing that's filled with generals and Democrats," said former campaign strategist Sam Nunberg, shortly before the news of Bannon's departure broke. "It would feel like the twilight zone." </s> (CNN) Donald Trump named two top advisers to his administration Sunday, tapping Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus to be his new chief of staff and Steve Bannon, the Trump campaign CEO and executive chairman of Breitbart News, as chief strategist and senior counselor.

"Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again," Trump said in the release.

It's an unusual arrangement that could create two power centers in the new White House. The campaign statement, which listed Bannon's role first, referred to the two men as "equal partners."

"Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive," it said.

The dynamic will continue the structure of the two men's roles in the campaign, with Priebus and Bannon working as partners, but with very different Trump constituencies to manage. Both Priebus and Bannon were highly involved with working out the arrangement, a source familiar with the decision said.

Priebus should be a reassuring presence to establishment Republicans still uncertain about what a Trump White House will look like. The pick signals that Trump may look to build bridges in Washington and keep continuity with longtime Republican agendas, as opposed to make waves from the beginning.

Priebus is among the longest serving chairmen of the Republican Party, and has generally been popular amid different factions within the party. He is largely credited with building the ground game that elected Trump and with helping to unite his party after a divisive primary that resulted in many Republicans shunning Trump's nomination.

Trump's choice for chief of staff was believed to come down to Priebus and Bannon. In a repeat of the tumultuous process that led Trump to tap Indiana Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana as his running-mate, GOP officials pressed the President-elect to go with Priebus for the chief of staff job.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Trump on Thursday to pick Priebus, a source told CNN on Friday. Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, has also said privately he is supportive of that decision.

After the announcement, a spokesman for Ryan said the speaker was pleased by the decision.

"The speaker is very happy for his friend and ready to get to work," said Doug Andres, his spokesman.

Priebus has served as a negotiator between the party and Trump. When Ryan did not initially endorse Trump, Priebus organized meetings and helped diffuse tension between the two when Ryan criticized Trump and Trump hit back.

Sources say Priebus and Trump have grown very close over the course of the campaign. Priebus had a leadership role in Trump's debate prep and traveled with him in the latter days of the campaign. Many of the RNC's top operatives were installed in Trump Tower to work closely with the campaign.

During the campaign, Trump often said he would look to politicians to help him govern, including his selection of Pence -- another Ryan friend and ally -- as vice president. But he also ran a campaign as an outsider, saying he would "drain the swamp" of Washington.

Priebus earned Trump's trust in the final months of the campaign, as he steered the RNC's resources behind Trump's candidacy despite Republican officials urging Priebus to abandon Trump and instead help down-ballot candidates.

As Trump's candidacy was engulfed in the controversy stemming from a 2005 tape in which he boasted about being able to grope and kiss women without their consent, and as sexual assault allegations surfaced the next week, Priebus stood fast behind Trump and worked to salvage his campaign.

Trump's debate over the selection demonstrated how he was once again being pulled between a more pragmatic selection with a pick who will enable his outsider persona and bellicose instincts.

Bannon represents bare-knuckle style politics seen as appealing to Trump's most inflammatory instincts, and his initial hiring prompted a raft of criticism from Democrats accusing Trump of embracing the "alt right."

But Trump ran an outsider campaign and Bannon's hiring signals an intention to keep the insurgent sentiment that propelled his campaign close.

Bannon is a former Navy officer and Goldman Sachs investment banker and has been an executive in the right-wing media for years. He joined Trump's campaign in August alongside new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, after Paul Manafort was fired as campaign manager.

While pundits worried that Bannon's hiring would hasten Trump going way off-message, he had some of his most disciplined weeks of his campaign under Bannon and Conway's leadership, though it was almost derailed by a hot mic video that caught Trump bragging of sexually violent and aggressive behavior toward women.

A potential White House role for Conway is a possibility. A Trump source says the President-elect has made clear to Conway that he wants her to work in the new administration, but she has not decided whether to do so for several reasons. That includes being mother to four young children.

CNN is told Conway is more likely to stay outside the government and follow the template of President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign strategist David Plouffe, who opted not to go in the White House.

Conway may follow that model and help the Trump administration by organizing conservative groups and pushing Trump policies and legislation from the outside.

Given Conway's exposure through the Trump campaign, she is also poised to make a lot of money working outside of government.

This story has been updated. </s> Bannon leaves Breitbart. Steve Bannon has stepped down from Breitbart News, where he was executive chairman, the company has announced. Bannon was forced out amid the furore over comments he allegedly made about US President Donald Trump’s mental fitness that were published in Fire and Fury, a book by Michael Wolff. The New York Times reports Bannon’s departure was forced by Rebekah Mercer, a one-time financial patron. Bannon had worked with the Trump election campaign, and then as chief strategist in the administration, before he was sacked. In a statement published on Breitbart, the company said it would work with Bannon on a “smooth transition”. More on Fire and Fury’s grand claims here.
Donald Trump's presidential campaign chief executive and Breitbart News executive chairman, Stephen Bannon, is named as Trump's Counselor to the President.