Steve Bannon predicted his own demise almost perfectly

Top White House strategist sees forecast come true

Then-White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon and then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (R) in Washington on June 1, 2017. Two months later, both have lost those jobs. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

Departing Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon appears to have predicted his Washington demise with uncanny precision.

The former head of right-wing website Breitbart News has always positioned himself as an outsider who clashes with entrenched Washington interests. He trumpeted that adversarial stance in regularly blasting perceived enemies like “globalists” and the “administrative state” and seeing himself as the keeper of Mr Trump’s populist campaign promises.

Given that role, Mr Bannon would reportedly tell people that he anticipated lasting eight months in his White House role - possibly up to a year - and was seeking to force through as much of his conservative agenda as he could.

He was close. Seven full months have passed since the start of the Trump administration, and Mr Bannon has been ousted amid a firestorm of criticism for Mr Trump repeatedly equating neo-Nazis with leftist protesters.

The news of Mr Bannon's ousting was met with dismay in some conservative corners of the Internet, where people worried Mr Trump would not live up to the promises of his candidacy without Mr Bannon's influence.

The loss of Mr Bannon, an early ally of Mr Trump, punctuated the tumult in an administration that has churned through staff as Mr Trump seeks to navigate the shoals of incessant scandal. Other figures who lost their jobs include former press secretary Sean Spicer, erstwhile chief of staff Reince Priebus, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and short-lived communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted less than two weeks.