黑料社

WASHINGTON鈥� Steve Bannon, the blunt-spoken and divisive strategist who rose from Donald Trump鈥檚 conservative campaign to a top White House post, was pushed out by the president Friday, capping a turbulent seven months marked by the departure of much of Trump鈥檚 original senior staff.

The former leader of conservative Breitbart 黑料社 and a favorite in the farther-right portions of the Republican Party, Bannon had pushed Trump to follow through on some of his most contentious campaign promises including his travel ban for some foreigners and his decision to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement. He returned to Breitbart 黑料社 as executive chairman and chaired the Friday evening editorial meeting, the news site announced.

Barely more than a half-year in, Trump now has forced out his hardline national security adviser, his chief of staff, his press secretary (whose last day will be Aug. 31) and two communications directors 鈥� in addition to the FBI director he inherited from Barack Obama.

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Bannon鈥檚 departure is especially significant since he was viewed by many as Trump鈥檚 connection to his base of most-committed voters and the protector of the disruptive, conservative agenda that propelled the celebrity businessman to the White House.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough pill to swallow if Steve is gone because you have a Republican West Wing that鈥檚 filled with generals and Democrats,鈥� said former campaign strategist Sam Nunberg, shortly before the news of Bannon鈥檚 departure broke. 鈥淚t would feel like the twilight zone.鈥�

From Breitbart, there was a dramatic one-word warning.

鈥�#WAR,鈥� tweeted Joel B. Pollak, a senior editor at large at the news site.

Indeed, Bannon鈥檚 nationalistic, outsider conservatism served as a guiding force for Trump鈥檚 rise to office. He injected a dark populism into the campaign and sharpened its attacks on Democrat Hillary Clinton, encouraging Trump鈥檚 instinct to fight and counter-punch at every turn. When the release of a 2005 tape, in which Trump can be heard boasting about groping women, threatened to capsize the Republican鈥檚 campaign, Bannon attempted to turn the tables by gathering a group of women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault and trying to ambush the Democratic nominee at a general election debate.

Without him, Trump鈥檚 agenda is left in the hands of more moderate advisers, including his son-in-law, his daughter and his economic adviser whom Bannon has slammed as 鈥済lobalist.鈥�

But Bannon was also accused by many of his critics of leaking to reporters in a bid for self-promotion, and egging on Trump鈥檚 most damaging impulses.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Bannon and Chief of Staff John Kelly, only recently installed himself, had agreed that Friday would be Bannon鈥檚 last day.

鈥淲e are grateful for his service and wish him the best,鈥� she said in the only statement from the White House.

A combative and unorthodox Republican, Bannon was a contentious presence in a White House divided by warring staff loyalties. He repeatedly clashed with other top advisers, most notably Trump鈥檚 son-in-law, Jared Kushner. His puppet-master image also drew the ire of the president, who at times bristled at the perception that Bannon was the mastermind of his winning campaign and the force behind White House policies.

One person close to Bannon said he had offered his resignation to Trump on Aug. 7. It was to go into effect a week later, the one-year anniversary of when he officially joined Trump鈥檚 presidential campaign. But the departure was delayed after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, said the person, who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

In fact, Bannon has been on shaky ground for weeks, and his job appeared in jeopardy when Kelly announced that he鈥檇 be embarking on a personnel review of West Wing staff.

Though Bannon had adopted a lower profile in recent weeks, he again became a flashpoint following criticism from the right of national security adviser H.R. McMaster, which some blamed on him, and Trump鈥檚 refusal to blame white nationalists for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Earlier this week, The American Prospect posted an interview in which he contradicted Trump by saying there was no military solution to the threat posed by North Korea and its nuclear ambitions. Just last week, Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with 鈥渇ire and fury.鈥�

Bannon also talked about purging his rivals from the Defense and State departments, as though he were in charge.

In recent remarks, the president has downplayed Bannon鈥檚 role in his campaign and passed up an opportunity to express confidence in him publicly.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a good person. He actually gets very unfair press in that regard,鈥� Trump said earlier this week. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l see what happens with Mr. Bannon.鈥�

Trump had recently signaled to confidants that he was going to dismiss Bannon but had not settled on a timeframe, according to another person who had discussed the matter with the president but was not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions and insisted on anonymity. Still, Bannon had been telling people as recently as this week that he believed his job was safe and he would leave only if fired.

Several sources said Bannon has been hinting for weeks that he might soon return to the helm of Breitbart 黑料社. At one point he was casually discussing the matter as though it was a certainty, according to a Bannon associate who demanded anonymity to share private conversations.

Bannon told Bloomberg politics in an interview that he鈥檒l be continuing to fight the same fights, just from outside the White House.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I鈥檓 leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents 鈥� on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America,鈥� Bannon told the outlet.

Still, Bannon is telling allies he intends to hold the administration accountable if it falters on campaign promises.