U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon Saturday, tweeting that working with Bannon was “great,” while once again disparaging former Democratic presidential opponent Hillary Clinton.
“I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against crooked Hillary Clinton — it was great! Thanks S.”
Vice President Mike Pence also recognized Bannon Saturday on Twitter, thanking him for serving with “distinction.”
“Steve served @Potus Trump with distinction. I value his friendship and contributions. Thank you, Steve!”
The White House Friday afternoon said Bannon was leaving. By evening, he was back at work at his old job at Breitbart News Network.
Bannon left the White House and went directly to Breitbart, the ultra-conservative online publication he led before joining Trump’s presidential campaign a little more than a year ago.
The website announced that Bannon “returned as Executive Chairman of Breitbart News Friday afternoon and chaired the company’s evening editorial meeting.”
He took over leadership of Breitbart following the death of its founder, Andrew Breitbart, in 2012. With Bannon at the helm, Breitbart took on a more nationalistic slant, appealing to the alt-right movement.
Bannon is credited with helping Trump win the White House by pushing a populist, nationalist message after joining the campaign. But following the election, Bannon clashed with other powerful West Wing figures, including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
In interviews following his departure, Bannon — using the same bellicose language that became the hallmark of Breitbart News under his watch — said he looked forward to taking on those he feels are standing in Trump’s way.
“If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents on Capitol Hill, in the media and in corporate America,” Bannon told Bloomberg News.
“I feel jacked up,” he said during an interview with The Weekly Standard. “Now I’m free. I’ve got my hands back on my weapons. Someone said, ‘it’s Bannon the Barbarian.’ I am definitely going to crush the opposition.”
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