Bannon exits Breitbart amid spat with White House

WASHINGTON—Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon left Breitbart News on Tuesday amid ongoing tension with the Trump administration. “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, the former executive chairman, said in a brief statement. Bannon exited the White House in August and quickly rejoined Breitbart, which he has helped lead since 2012. The decision to leave the news organization comes amid a falling out with President Donald Trump after a new book about the Trump administration quoted Bannon saying disparaging things about Trump’s family members and questioning the president’s mental state. When news outlets published excerpts of the book last week, Trump issued a statement saying his former adviser and campaign chairman had “lost his mind.” Under Bannon’s influence, Breitbart became a fixture for pro-Trump coverage in 2016. The New York Times reported Bannon left the outlet because of pressure from Rebekah Mercer, one of Breitbart’s financial backers. After last week’s blowup over the book, Mercer distanced herself from Bannon in a statement. “I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected,” Mercer said. “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.”