Trump fires chief strategist Steve Bannon

Chief strategist Bannon had to leave the White House after making comments that contradicted Trump's views on North Korea.

Chief strategist Steve Bannon was fired. Photo: Reuters

"White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed that today will be Steve's last day here," Reuters quoted White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders as saying on August 19. "We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."

A source said the decision to fire Bannon had been under consideration by US President Donald Trump for a long time and that chief strategist Bannon had been given the opportunity to step aside. "The president has been making a decision on this for about two weeks," the source said.

Chief of Staff Kelly also reviewed Bannon's role in the White House. "They gave him the opportunity to resign knowing he would be forced out," the source said.

News that Bannon would be fired has been circulating in American public opinion recently, especially after he gave an interview with the American Prospect, expressing views contrary to President Trump's stance on the North Korea issue.

"Until somebody shows me how 10 million people in Seoul don't die in the first 30 minutes of a conventional war, I don't know what they're talking about, there's no military solution," Bannon said in the interview. President Trump had previously hinted at a military solution, saying that North Korea would face "fire and fury" from the US.

After being fired, Bannon told friends that he might return to Breitbart News, which he ran before becoming President Trump's campaign manager.

After his election, Trump appointed the communications expert as a senior adviser and chief strategist in his new administration. Critics say that, despite having no foreign policy expertise, Bannon has a major impact on the decision-making process at the US National Security Council.

According to VNE