Bannon stepping down as chairman of Breitbart News
WASHINGTON — Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is stepping down as chairman of Breitbart News Network after a public break with President Donald Trump.
Breitbart announced Tuesday that Bannon will quit as executive chairman of the conservative news site, less than a week after his explosive criticisms of Trump and his family were published in a new book.
A report on the Breitbart website quotes Bannon saying, “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.”
Trump lashed out at Bannon for comments he made in Michael
Wolff ’s “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” which questions the president’s fitness for office.
As Trump aides called him disloyal and disgraceful, the president on Twitter branded his former chief strategist “Sloppy Steve,” an apparent reference to Bannon’s often unkempt appearance, and declared that “he lost his mind” when he was pushed out of the White House in August.
Bannon’s departure from Breitbart came as a shock to some of his allies. One said Bannon was telling people as recently as Monday that he expected to stay on.
Bannon’s breakup with Breitbart is also costing him his daily show on the conservative talk station on satellite radio network Siriusxm. The company announced it is ending its relationship with Bannon, stating its programing agreement is with Breitbart.
The White House did not immediately respond to the news of Bannon’s ouster, but press secretary Sarah Sanders last week called on the conservative site, which has been a steadfast backer of the president, to “look at and consider” parting ways with Bannon.
Despite the setback, Bannon has told confidants that he believes Trump, after a cooling-off period, will again seek his counsel, noting that the president often maintains contact with aides he has fired.
On Monday, deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said Bannon’s attempts to make amends with Trump have not altered his standing with the president.
“I don’t believe there’s any way back for Mr. Bannon at this point,” Gidley said.