Bannon out as White House chief strategist

WASHINGTON—The White House announced that President Donald Trump has accepted the resignation of chief strategist Steve Bannon and that Friday would be his last day on the job. Bannon, 64, joined the Trump campaign as its chief executive in August 2016 and has been a top adviser to the president ever since. When Bannon started at the White House in January, he shared equal authority with former chief of staff Reince Priebus. He previously served as executive chairman for Breitbart, a conservative news website. The New York Times reported Bannon submitted his letter of resignation Aug. 7 and intended to leave his post at the beginning of this week, but fallout from Trump’s response to racial unrest in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend delayed his departure. Bannon often clashed with other White House personnel. In a candid interview with the liberal American Prospect, Bannon coarsely criticized executive branch staff members and vowed he would try to fire a diplomat at the State Department. Bannon is the fourth high-profile departure from the White House in less than a month. Priebus resigned July 27, and White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci left July 31—10 days after Trump hired him. White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced his resignation the same day Trump hired Scaramucci.