Local Democrats, Republicans Weigh In On Steve Bannon's Departure
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Local members of Congress reacted to news that Steve Bannon stepped down as the White House chief strategist Friday.
Bannon took the reins of the Trump campaign a year ago. He quickly became the focus of controversy, portrayed as manipulating Donald Trump and pushing an agenda of "economic nationalism," CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
"If you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken," he said along the campaign trail.
Bannon came from Breitbart.com, where the headlines cast him as a pillar of the "alt-right."
Now, with the president under fire in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, Bannon is out.
"Bannon is not the central problem in this administration. Mr. Trump is," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) said.
Still, he welcomed the move and said he hopes it's a sign that new Chief of Staff John Kelly is working steadily to fix problems at the White House.
"He's trying to bring some order to a situation that is order-less. So I wish him well," Pascrell said. "I hope he can straighten it out."
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) criticized Bannon Thursday on Twitter.
How long can Trump Administration survive Bannon using race as political issue and undermining @POTUS and Cabinet on N Korea?
— Pete King (@RepPeteKing) August 17, 2017
"He's not going to have all of the backbiting, all of the leaking, all of the undermining that was going on when Steve Bannon was there," King said. "And then it's going to be up to the president. He will have a clear path with a united White House behind him."
A photo of Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and Sean Spicer seemed ordinary in January. But now seems remarkable, since each has departed, Aiello reported.
But with Bannon, did the president solve a problem or create one?
Brietbart.com quickly posted a headline, reading. "Get Ready for Bannon the Barbarian."
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said, "we'll see what happens," when asked about Bannon's future. He also defended Bannon, saying he's not a racist and complained the media treated him too harshly.