The White House has confirmed that Donald Trump's controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon is leaving the White House - after seven controversial months.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement: “White House Chief of Staff John Kelly & Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day.”
The 63-year-old and the White House parted company - it was not immediately clear if he was fired or quit - a year after the took over the management of Mr Trump's presidential campaign.
The former Breitbart editor-in-chief was impressed by Mr Trump's ability to launch an aggressive, populist campaign that played into the concerns and anxieties of many working Americans. He encouraged to press this approach on every issue and was delighted to see the New York tycoon frequently act like a political cage fighter, rather than a typical political candidate. He also relished in his role as man who considered the media "the opposition".
There had been speculation about Mr Bannon being fired almost as soon as he took on the role of special advisor to the President and occupied an office in the West Wing. There were reports that he clashed with Mr Trump’s original chief of staff Reince Preibus, that he clashed with Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Yet reports also said that the former Naval officer was one of the few people whom Mr Trump felt he could connect with on a visceral level. It was Mr Bannon, reports said, who got Mr Trump.
The circumstances of the one-time investment banker and movie producer, were somewhat confused. Some reports said Mr Bannon had been fired; others said he offered his resignation on August 7.
But a clear indication that Mr Bannon was heading for the door came earlier this week when Mr Trump gave only a half-hearted defence of him.
“I like Mr Bannon,” he said “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, and I like him.”
Another clue that Mr Bannon knew his time was up came the following day when the strategist placed a call to a journalist from American Prospect magazine. In the call he described the far right “a fringe element,” and a “collection of clowns”.
“I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more,” he said, just days after Mr Trump said “two sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville.
He said he was also confident about his ability to defeat his opponents with the Departments of State and Treasury. He said: “They're wetting themselves."
