‘Trump next’: The frenzied social media reaction to Steve Bannon’s firing
News of Steve Bannon’s firing as chief strategist to US President Donald Trump sparked an inferno of reaction on social media, as many sought to dance on his political corpse.
READ MORE: Chief strategist Steve Bannon exits Trump White House
Bannon, who played an instrumental role in guiding Trump to election victory last November, has reportedly been on thin ice in recent weeks. That ice finally gave away on Friday afternoon, when his departure from the White House was revealed.
#Bannonpic.twitter.com/iayJXUIb57
— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) August 18, 2017
Breaking: Steve Bannon is being replaced by Donald Trump as POTUS
— Alt_Dept of Labor (@alt_labor) August 18, 2017
I am wearing 3 of my 5 shirts at half mast to honor the service and sacrifice of Steve Bannon pic.twitter.com/XzpCy63Qqb
— Mike Pesca (@pescami) August 18, 2017
The perception that the former Breitbart executive has ties to white nationalists provided fodder for many tweets and people gloried in his firing.
Woah. I did Nazi that coming. Don't worry, Steve, I'm sure you'll be alt-right. #BannonOut
— James Brownsell (@JamesBrownsell) August 18, 2017
Oh Happy Day!
— Fiona Adorno (@FionaAdorno) August 18, 2017
Mouldy, Stink-Soaked, Bag-of-Pus Nazi, Steve Bannon is outta here. #bannonoutpic.twitter.com/nyrBLrdsWH
Bannon is the latest victim in a cull of senior White House staff including former press secretary Sean Spicer, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly held the role of communications director. This fact prompted many to remark on the seemingly brutal nature of the Trump White House.
Another one bites the dust... #Bannonhttps://t.co/RCw5G7ZDecpic.twitter.com/zDKrP4P56k
— New York Post (@nypost) August 18, 2017
So Bannon is out now?
— Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) August 18, 2017
Is someone gonna get axed every week like…like…
Holy shit. We are LIVING The Apprentice.
Photo shows just how much turnover there has been in Trump's top ranks in under 8 months. https://t.co/ivRvT19OOipic.twitter.com/i6Gnqvi6bs
— Farid Senzai (@Farid_Senzai) August 18, 2017
Some were quick to claim his firing as a victory for ‘The Resistance’ movement, comprised of Democrats who have opposed Trump since he defeated Hillary Clinton last year.
I can tell you this, firing Bannon was never part of Trump's plan. Great work to everyone in #TheResistance!
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 18, 2017
Now back to #ImpeachTrump!
Jokes about a Confederate statue being removed from the White House also proved to be very popular amongst the Twitterati.
BREAKING NEWS: Grotesque Confederate Statue Removed from the White House. pic.twitter.com/xcQOuzEtjg
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) August 18, 2017
Game of Thrones references were also widespread.
Flynn. Spicer. Bannon. I can't sleep until I say the names. pic.twitter.com/4csIDNHJiW
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) August 18, 2017
BREAKING: Donald Trump sends Steve Bannon away to find the cure for greyscale. "I command you to heal yourself," Trump said tearfully. pic.twitter.com/fj4pdI1occ
— Mike T (@majtague) August 18, 2017
#BannonOutpic.twitter.com/NPoJqq2Ti5
— Ray (@RayAgua1031) August 18, 2017
However, not everyone was joyful. Former Democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders was among those warning that the problem hasn’t gone away.
The problem was never just Steve Bannon. It was and always will be Donald Trump. https://t.co/cTBqwdwZUW
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 18, 2017
Glad to see Bannon gone; he never belonged in the WH. But the problem persists, since the most profound source of division cannot be fired.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 18, 2017
Unsurprisingly some of the reaction was quite extreme. The Huffington Post went as far using “goy”- an offensive Yiddish term for non-Jews - in their coverage. This, in turn, sparked a backlash against the publication.
Someone at HuffPo thought this headline was a good idea pic.twitter.com/rSPQq9dEO9
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 18, 2017
HuffPo decides to reinforce the conspiracy theory that the Joos are running things and are picking off their enemies one by one. https://t.co/ZIvyp6tjbz
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 18, 2017
Say, @HuffPost, WTF? pic.twitter.com/zBmSw6r0a6
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 18, 2017
HuffPost suggests that Jews dumped Bannon the non-Jew (goy) after a week of HP whining about the rise of Nazis. Recklessness! pic.twitter.com/0q9vnaCpaH
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) August 18, 2017
The website’s editor-in-chief responded to the criticism by saying it was meant as a “playful” mash-up “tribute to Yiddish and Beyonce” and that and other interpretations were “not intended”.
Today’s splash was intended to be a mashup tribute to Yiddish and Beyoncé. Any other interpretation was completely unintended.
— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) August 18, 2017
Meanwhile, some Trump supporters expressed concern about what would happen now that Bannon is no longer in the White House to influence the president.
Now that @realDonaldTrump got rid of the voice of reason in the White House, guessing McMaster's plan will be a go pic.twitter.com/xEpfuFf93w
— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) August 18, 2017
