Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon stepped down Tuesday as executive chairman of Breitbart News, a swift and stunning fall for a leading figure on the American right who was recently rebuked by President Donald Trump and abandoned by his key financial backer.

Trump publicly broke with Bannon in dramatic fashion last week, suggesting his former top adviser had “lost his mind” in response to critical comments Bannon made about members of the Trump family and campaign in Michael Wolff’s incendiary new book, “Fire and Fury.”


Breitbart's announcement came on the same day that Trump discussed comprehensive immigration reform at the White House and said he would attend the elite World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month, and just weeks after he signed a bill cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy — all moves that cut against Bannon’s nationalist, populist vision and show how his influence has waned since he was hailed as the mastermind behind Trump's 2016 victory.

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

Bannon, a former investment banker and film producer who became executive chairman of Breitbart after its founder's death in 2012, joined the Trump campaign in August 2016 as chief executive. Later, as White House strategist, he kept a whiteboard with Trump's campaign promises written in black marker, check marks next to those that had been accomplished. After months of squabbling with members of the administration he considered too establishment or too liberal, he was fired in August 2017 by new chief of staff John Kelly and returned to Breitbart.

In recent days, amid tension with the White House over his comments in “Fire and Fury,” Bannon privately acknowledged to friends that the firestorm surrounding him was interfering with Breitbart’s operations. He did not respond to questions Tuesday about what’s next for him.

On Sunday, in an effort to ease the bitterness, Bannon issued a statement uncharacteristically backing down from some of the criticisms that had so enraged the president, including calling Donald Trump Jr. “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” for attending a meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer.

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Bannon didn’t dispute discussing the meeting but said he meant to aim his attack at former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, not the president's son.

"Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man," Bannon said in the statement. "I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr. has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."

The statement came after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that Breitbart and Bannon should “consider” parting ways given the fallout at last Thursday’s daily news briefing; his expression of regret Sunday did little to quell the White House's frustration.

Robert Mercer, long Bannon’s primary backer, had already abandoned the former Trump aide in November, selling his shares in the site to his daughter Rebekah. Last week, Rebekah Mercer issued a rare public statement distancing herself from Bannon and reaffirming support for Trump, whom the Mercers backed in the 2016 election.

“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," she said.

Still, Bannon told people over the weekend that he wasn’t going anywhere, and he was still holding editorial meetings and hosting his radio show. But people close to him expressed frustration that he wouldn't publicly address the rumors that he might leave Breitbart.

Bannon had boasted when he left the Trump White House and returned to Breitbart that he had his “weapons” back. The site’s identity in recent years has been shaped around Bannon’s brand of fiery, right-wing populism, which he wielded in the fight against progressives and establishment Republicans.

“He was the operation. The content that you saw across the pages of Breitbart from the moment really that Andrew Breitbart died to the current day was molded in the image and voice of Steve Bannon,” said Kurt Bardella, who served as a spokesperson for the site from 2013-2016.

Even during the eight months Bannon served in the White House, Bardella said it was still clear his vision was driving the site — and its coverage was often seen as a proxy for his views.

“The problem is, Steve, despite all his flaws, had a clear vision and business acumen,” said Lee Stranahan, a former Breitbart News writer. “In politics, he’s probably done, but I’m not sure he cares.”

Both Bardella and Stranahan said the site found itself at a pivotal moment, with an uncertain future.

“I think Breitbart as a platform is now going to have to take on its own personality outside of Steve Bannon’s,” Bardella said. “What that will look like and how successful that will be is an unanswered question.”

Cristiano Lima contributed to this report.