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U.S. NEWS Saturday 19 auguSt 2017
White House boots Bannon, Soothing the nation?

influential, divisive strategist Trump struggles like no other president

By JONATHAN LEMIRE large at the news site. monuments and offered divisive he is — and why
JILL COLVIN Indeed, Bannon’s nation- Continued from front support to allies in Spain af- even in the most somber
Associated Press alistic, outsider conserva- ter terror attacks. Then he moments it can be difficult
WASHINGTON (AP) — tism served as a guiding On Friday, numerous chari- appeared to revive a gris- for him to effectively reach
Steve Bannon, the blunt- force for Trump’s rise to ties were following the ly, debunked tale about a out. He and his daughter
Cleveland Clinic in pull-
spoken and divisive office. He injected a dark U.S. general’s brutal killing Ivanka Trump quietly trav-
strategist who rose from populism into the cam- ing business from his pri- of Muslims. His Friday mes- eled Feb. 1 to Dover Air
vate Mar-a-Lago resort in
Donald Trump’s conser- paign and sharpened sages included the need Force Base in Delaware for
vative campaign to a its attacks on Democrat Florida. And some Repub- for strong national security the return of the remains
lican lawmakers who had
top White House post, Hillary Clinton, encour-
was pushed out by the aging Trump’s instinct to
president Friday, capping fight and counter-punch
a turbulent seven months at every turn. When the
marked by the departure release of a 2005 tape,
of much of Trump’s origi- in which Trump can be
nal senior staff. The former heard boasting about
leader of conservative groping women, threat-
Breitbart News and a fa- ened to capsize the Re-
vorite in the farther-right publican’s campaign,
portions of the Republi- Bannon attempted to
can Party, Bannon had turn the tables by gath-
pushed Trump to follow ering a group of women
through on some of his who accused Bill Clinton
most contentious cam- of sexual assault and try-
paign promises including ing to ambush the Demo-
his travel ban for some cratic nominee at a gen-
foreigners and his deci- eral election debate.
sion to pull out of the Paris Without him, Trump’s
climate change agree- agenda is left in the hands
ment. He returned to Bre- of more moderate advis-
itbart News as executive ers, including his son-in-
chairman and chaired law, his daughter and his
the Friday evening edito- economic adviser whom
rial meeting, the news site Bannon has slammed as
announced.Barely more “globalist.” But Bannon
than a half-year in, Trump was also accused by President Donald Trump walks across the tarmac to board Air Force One at Hagerstown Regional
now has forced out his many of his critics of leak- Airport, Aug. 18, 2017 in Hagerstown, Md. Trump is returning to Bedminister N.J., after having a
meeting with his national security team at Camp David, Md.
hardline national security ing to reporters in a bid (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
adviser, his chief of staff, for self-promotion, and
his press secretary (whose egging on Trump’s most
last day will be Aug. 31) damaging impulses. hoped to work with Trump and retweets from a con- of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed
and two communications Trump spokeswoman lambasted him — Sen. Bob servative talk show host during a raid in Yemen,
directors — in addition to Sarah Huckabee Sanders Corker of Tennessee said who reassured him that William “Ryan” Owens. But
the FBI director he inher- said Bannon and Chief Thursday the president has supporters weren’t de- the grieving family mem-
ited from Barack Obama. of Staff John Kelly, only not shown he knows “the serting him. Trump has ex- bers had mixed feelings.
Bannon’s departure is es- recently installed himself, character of the nation.” pressed no regrets about “I told them I didn’t want to
pecially significant since had agreed that Friday Separately, billionaire in- his Tuesday news confer- make a scene about it, but
he was viewed by many would be Bannon’s last vestor Carl Icahn informed ence that enraged many my conscience wouldn’t
as Trump’s connection to day. “We are grateful for Trump in a letter Friday that Americans and prompted let me talk to him,” the sail-
his base of most-commit- his service and wish him he was stepping down Bro’s comments on Friday. or’s father, Bill Owens, later
ted voters and the pro- the best,” she said in the from his informal role ad- Senior strategist Steve Ban- told The Miami Herald.
tector of the disruptive, only statement from the vising the White House on non was one of the few to But at the end of the
conservative agenda White House. A combat- its deregulation efforts. publicly support Trump’s month, Ryan Owens’
that propelled the celeb- ive and unorthodox Re- Icahn said his decision was comments as politically widow, Carryn, attended
rity businessman to the publican, Bannon was a based on conflict of inter- savvy. A divisive figure who Trump’s address to Con-
White House. “It’s a tough contentious presence in est concerns. shares Trump’s “America gress and wept as the
pill to swallow if Steve is a White House divided by With many in his party and first” instincts, Bannon lost president thanked her
gone because you have warring staff loyalties. He his White House reeling af- his job on Friday. and said, “Ryan’s legacy is
a Republican West Wing repeatedly clashed with ter the Charlottesville cri- The White House isn’t say- etched into eternity.”
that’s filled with gener- other top advisers, most sis, the president traveled ing whether Trump plans to Trump has shown his softer
als and Democrats,” said notably Trump’s son-in- from his Bedminster, New travel to Charlottesville at side at times. He explained
former campaign strate- law, Jared Kushner. His Jersey, golf club to Camp any point. that he had ordered a
gist Sam Nunberg, shortly puppet-master image David for a national secu- Some in his Cabinet have missile strike in Syria in part
before the news of Ban- also drew the ire of the rity meeting on Friday. For tried to step into what are because of the images
non’s departure broke. “It president, who at times a second day, Trump had normally presidential shoes. — “innocent babies, little
would feel like the twilight bristled at the percep- no public appearances Secretary of State Rex Tiller- babies” — he’d seen of
zone.” From Breitbart, tion that Bannon was the planned. son said Friday that racism the aftermath of a chemi-
there was a dramatic mastermind of his winning Once again, Trump left it is “evil” and that “hate is cal attack that the U.S.
one-word warning. campaign and the force to his Twitter feed to show not an American value.” concluded was the work
“#WAR,” tweeted Joel B. behind White House poli- his mindset: On Thursday, An early example in his of Syrian President Bashar
Pollak, a senior editor at cies. q he defended Confederate presidency showed how Assad.q