Media

Coulter blames media for Bannon ouster

by Ben Kamisar - 08/18/17 1:58 PM ET

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter blasted President Trump’s decision to fire chief strategist Stephen Bannon, framing the move as a victory for liberals and the media over populism.

“STEVE BANNON OUT! Media is the most powerful branch of government,” Coulter tweeted on Friday soon after the news of Bannon’s dismissal broke.

STEVE BANNON OUT! Media is the most powerful branch of government.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 18, 2017

Who will media decide @realDonaldTrump has to fire next?

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 18, 2017

“Who will the media decide [Trump] has to fire next?”

Coulter cast Bannon as a positive influence within the White House on issues important to the president’s populist base, warning that his departure would push the White House down the wrong path. {mosads}

“At least Wall Street will get its tax cuts now! Also, more pointless wars!!!!” she said, also adding that most of Trump’s top staff has its roots in the investment firm Goldman Sachs.

Coulter has been an ardent supporter of Bannon throughout his time on the campaign and in the White House.

News of Bannon’s departure broke on Friday afternoon, a move that marked the end of a controversial stint in the White House. Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, has a sterling reputation among Trump’s grass-roots base. He joined Trump’s presidential campaign in the final months to applause from those who saw him as part of Trump’s commitment to populism.

But his brief tenure in the White House was marked with regular clashes with top aides who disagreed with his nationalistic viewpoints. And he drew recent criticism when Trump equivocated white supremacists rallying in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend with counterprotesters, as he’s urged Trump in public interviews to engage in culture wars over race.

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