Stephen Bannon.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Stephen Bannon has resigned as chairman of Breitbart News, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Breitbart confirmed the news minutes later, publishing a statement by Bannon: "I'm proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform," he said.

The Times reports Bannon's resignation was "forced" by Rebekah Mercer, the daughter of billionaire Robert Mercer and a major Republican donor.

Bannon had helmed Breitbart since 2012, save for his brief respite in 2016 when he took over President Trump's election campaign and his subsequent joining of Trump's staff. Bannon and Trump recently engaged in a public feud after disparaging comments by Bannon about Trump's administration were published in Fire and Fury, a tell-all book by the writer Michael Wolff.

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Kimberly Alters

Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.