Steve Bannon
Steven Bannon, chief strategist to President Donald Trump, stands in Washington, D.C., on inauguration day, Jan. 20, 2017. Critics have accused Bannon of harboring anti-Semitic and white nationalist sentiments. Under Bannon's leadership, his Breitbart website presented a number of conspiracy theories about Trump's Democratic rival in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton, as well as Republicans deemed to be lacking in conservative bona fides. Reuters

Steve Bannon, Chief White House Strategist and one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers and confidants, was removed from the beleaguered National Security Council (NSC) Wednesday, indicating the increased power of Bannon’s reported adversaries working in the White House.

Along with Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, White House national security advisor H.R. McMaster petitioned for Bannon to be removed from the council, according to various sources speaking to the Washington Post and Politico.

Read: Steve Bannon Quotes: On Alt-Right, Republicans, Feminism, What Does Donald Trump's Chief Strategist Believe?

The former editor of far-right website Breitbart News known for his anti-establishment views was more of a political operative than a foreign policy or military official. Because of this, many in the White House were opposed to Bannon's placement on the NSC. Bannon fought his removal and threatened to quit if it went forward, a White House official told the New York Times.

Read: Do Americans Like The Trump Administration? Spicer, Bannon More Unpopular Than President

But Bannon will continue to work for the president as an advisor, the Washington Post reported. He will also retain his title and remain a confidante of the president.

"He is still involved in everything and still has the full confidence of the president but to be fair he can only do so much stuff," a source told Reuters.

Bannon originally joined the NSC to keep an eye on Trump’s first national security advisor Michael Flynn, but Flynn was ousted before his first full month in the role due to his meetings with Russian officials. The White House claimed Bannon’s removal was not a demotion, but a “natural evolution.”

"This is just a natural evolution to ensure the National Security Council is organized in a way that best serves the president in resolving and making those difficult decisions," Vice President Mike Pence said on Fox News Wednesday.

But sources speaking to media said the move was indeed a demotion as well as the result of a power struggle between Bannon and McMaster.

“McMaster won,” an NSC official told Politico.

Steve Bannon
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon attends a roundtable discussion held by President Donald Trump at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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