Why Is Steve Bannon 'Out'? Leaked North Korea Secrets Possibly To Blame

Update —​ Friday, Aug. 18 at 1:40 p.m. EDT: The White House confirmed Bannon handed in his resignation. "White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day," the White House said in a statement Friday. "We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."

Original story:

Breaking news from Drudge Report and the New York Times Friday: White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is reportedly out of the Trump administration. The White House did not immediately confirm the rumor.

One theory claimed Bannon could have been fired was because of an interview he gave with American Prospect magazine Thursday regarding President Donald Trump’s policy on Kim Jong Un’s North Korea.

“There’s no military solution — forget it,” Bannon told the Prospect. “Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no military solution here; they got us.”

His words reportedly changed the way North Koreans viewed the U.S. “The president had the North Koreans really believing they could wake up to a strike, taking out their nuclear weapons and command and control facilities. Steve just blew that out of the water,” a source told News Max Thursday.

Bannon also told the publication the far-right was a “collection of clowns” and he called them a “fringe element” of “losers.”

He also had plenty to say about the left and what happened in Charlottesville. “The Democrats -- the longer they talk about identity politics, I got 'em. I want them to talk about racism every day,” Bannon said in the article. “If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”

There are different reports about whether Bannon was possibly fired, or apparently handed in his resignation. Two aides told the New York Times Friday Trump made the decision to remove the man who helped him get elected.

But people from Bannon’s team insisted it was his idea to leave the Trump administration, with him apparently handing in his resignation Aug. 7. It was supposed to be announced Monday, but was delayed after the deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, the Times reported.

Trump defended Bannon Tuesday during a whirlwind presser. He said Bannon was “not racist” and called him a “friend.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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