President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, and former staffers Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer . Photo / AP
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, and former staffers Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer . Photo / AP
By Debra Killalea
It was a photo taken just days into a new Trump administration.
Seven months later the advisers surrounding Donald Trump look very different as the White House remains in a state of political turbulence.
The latest casualty of the Trump staff churn is Steve Bannon, the President'sblunt-spoken and divisive strategist.
His departure caps off a turbulent seven months that witnessed the departure of much of Trump's original senior staff.
The President has forced out a national security adviser, a chief of staff, a press secretary and two communications directors - in addition to firing the FBI director he inherited from President Barack Obama.
Trump pictured with Reince Priebus, left, Vice President Mike Pence (centre, bottom) Steve Bannnon, centre, Sean Spicer, right and Michael Flynn. Only Pence remains. Photo / AP
However Bannon's departure is especially significant since he was viewed as Trump's connection to his base of most-committed voters and the protector of the populist conservative agenda that propelled the celebrity businessman to the White House.
Without him, Trump's agenda is left in the hands of more moderate counsellors, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his oldest daughter Ivanka.
The White House said Bannon and new White House chief of staff John Kelly had "mutually agreed" that Friday would be his last day.
Bannon has resumed his role as executive chairman of the conservative Breitbart News website, which he led before joining the Trump campaign.
David Bossie, a former deputy manager of Trump's campaign, said Bannon wanted to give Kelly "an opportunity to have a clean slate."
However some raised concerns that the staff churn is hampering Trump's ability to notch up a major legislative victory.
FACTIONS AND FIGHTING
Bannon repeatedly clashed with other top advisers, most notably Kushner with some critics arguing it was fuelling division and instability.
Other said it was affecting the President's ability to pass legislation.
Republican politician Pete King said Bannon has to go because he was creating chaos in the West Wing and undermining President Trump's administration.
"The White House has just not been functioning. There's been leaks coming out, one faction is undermining another," he told the Cats Roundtable radio show in the US on Sunday.
Bossie dismissed concerns that White House staff divisions are hurting Trump's ability to get his priorities passed.
He said "in every presidency there are factions" and blamed Republican congressional leaders instead.
Following news of his departure on Friday, Bannon said the Trump Presidency he helped fight for and win is over.
"We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency," he told the Weekly Standard.
"But that presidency is over. It'll be something else. And there'll be all kinds of fights, and there'll be good days and bad days, but that presidency is over."
Former campaign strategist Sam Nunberg said the West Wing will feel like the twilight zone without Bannon.
"It's a tough pill to swallow if Steve is gone because you have a Republican West Wing that's filled with generals and Democrats," he said.
RISE OF BANNON
Steve Bannon the latest big name to exit the Trump Administration. Photo / AP
Bannon injected a dark populism into the campaign and sharpened its attacks on Democrat Hillary Clinton, encouraging Trump's instinct to fight and counterpunch at every turn.
When the release of a 2005 tape, in which Trump is heard boasting about groping women, threatened to capsize the campaign, Bannon attempted to turn the tables.
He gathered a group of women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault and tried to ambush Hillary Clinton at a general election debate.
DIVIDED ADMINISTRATION
Bannon said no administration in history has been so divided among itself about the direction about where it should go.
"You can't keep putting new people in the line-up and think you're going to win a world championship," he told CNN's State of the Union.
Dougal Robinson, research fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, told news.com.au President Trump's White House is ideologically diverse.
"Steve Bannon's brand of nationalism was at odds with more traditional Republicans like Vice President Mike Pence and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, not to mention the pro-trade, internationalist preferences of Trump advisers and former Democrats such as Jared Kushner and Gary Cohn," he said.
"High turnover so far, including the departure of former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and now Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, does not reflect well on President Trump.
"The new Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, may be able to run a more structured White House. But the last week gives little indication that Kelly can moderate President Trump's behaviour."
In a report released last month, Make it personal: Trump, Congress and Australia's avenues of influence Robinson highlighted how a president's advisers can easily be sacked.
He also said turnover among White House staff in any US administration is typically much higher than the attrition rate of cabinet secretaries or members of Congress.
FALLEN MEN
Bannon is the latest senior White House official to go in the past seven months. Others include:
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser - gone. Photo / AP
Trump hired Flynn as national security adviser but fired him after less than a month.
Former Obama administration officials had reportedly warned the President against hiring Flynn in the days after the 2016 election.
Former acting Attorney-General Sally Yates said she had two meetings and one phone call with White House counsel Don McGahn about concerns that Flynn "could be blackmailed" by the Russians.
His resignation followed media reports that he had discussed US-imposed sanctions on Russia with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition period, which was contrary to the public representations of the White House.
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus
Reince Priebus, White House Chief of Staff - gone. Photo / AP
Priebus handed in his resignation to Trump last month after the president revealed he wanted to "go in a new direction".
In an appearance on The Situation Room Priebus played down reports he was fired telling anchor Wolf Blitzer: "This is not a situation where there's a lot of ill will feelings."
Trump replaced him with retired Marine Corps general and current Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
The move came amid speculation that Trump would sack Priebus or force him to quit.
Sean Spicer, White House press secretary - gone. Photo / AP
Last month Spicer resigned following the hiring of White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Spicer reportedly "vehemently disagreed" Trump giving the New York financier the plum role and told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the White House's communications department had "too many cooks in the kitchen".
Spicer also told CNN he "wanted to give the president a clean slate".
Spicer copped flack for comparing Adolf Hitler to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, saying "you had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons."
He also claimed Trump's inauguration crowds were bigger than Obama's.
