Steve Bannon, Trump Adviser With White Nationalist Ties, Is Out At White House

Steve Bannon — ex-Breitbart publisher, white nationalist and chief strategist to Donald Trump — is leaving the White House, according to press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

In a statement Friday, Sanders announced the latest Trump administration departure, saying the White House is “grateful for his service.” Chief of Staff John Kelly and Bannon reportedly agreed that his last day would be Friday, although it is reported that Bannon officially resigned two weeks prior.

Details of the departure are scarce, but the move comes after Bannon was quoted in an interview with the American Prospect contradicting Trump’s views on North Korea, a statement that reportedly angered the president.

“There’s no military solution, forget it,” Bannon said. “Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul [South Korea] don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us.”

At one point, Bannon was the president’s most trusted adviser. Credited for launching Trump into the White House by utilizing the “populist” or far-right base, Bannon was also instrumental in pushing controversial policies into place, namely Trump’s Muslim ban. 

Despite his white nationalist views, the president defended Bannon on Tuesday amid criticism that the White House emboldened white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

“I like him. He’s a good man. We’ll see what happens with Mr. Bannon,” Trump said.

This is a developing story.

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[BLANK_AUDIO] The Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center, the NAACP, and even some republicans are criticizing Donald Trump's decision to make Stephen Bannon his chief strategist. So, who exactly is this Bannon character? Well, he led Breitbart.com, which is known for championing white nationalism Breitbart.com has advocated for a religious test for immigrants and in 2007, his ex-wife testified in a domestic violence case that Bannon didn't want their children going to school with Jewish people. Meanwhile, Trump himself recently told 60 Minutes that he wants those inciting violence and racism in his name to, quote, stop it. So does that go for your chief strategist? Or not. [BLANK_AUDIO]