Progressive Americans are furious with President-elect Donald Trump for hiring conservative media executive Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsellor in the White House.

Mr Bannon, 62, was Mr Trump’s presidential campaign chief executive and is the executive chairman of Breitbart News, an ultra-right wing website regularly accused of a racist, sexist and anti-LGBTIQ agenda.

The appointment came as Mr Trump pledged to bring the US “together as never before”, when speaking after his November 8 election win.

Mr Trump said this despite running a divisive campaign which targeted Muslims, Mexicans and women, to name but a few.

Breitbart fanned the divisive flames of Mr Trump’s rhetoric during the campaign, becoming a preferred news source for the billionaire’s large supporter base and challenging heavyweight Fox News.

Some of the stories published by Breitbart under Stephen Bannon’s leadership.

Mr Bannon began his role with Breitbart in 2012 and under his leadership the website became a noted internet haven for the “alt-right”.

The “alt-right” is an online community that advocates far-right wing political ideologies, namely white supremacy, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-feminism.

In August, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton slammed Mr Bannon and Breitbart’s influence on Mr Trump’s campaign in a speech in which she declared the billionaire was “taking hate groups mainstream”.

“The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right,” Mrs Clinton said.

Breitbart attracted 18 million visitors to its homepage in July 2016 for example, the New York Times reported.

Alleged Ku Klux Klan, white supremacy backing

Democrats have been outraged by Mr Trump’s hiring of Mr Bannon, calling him a promoter of racism and misogyny who is backed by the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.

Senator Harry Reid told the US Senate on Wednesday (AEDT) that he bemoaned Mr Bannon’s new role.

“In his first official act, Mr Trump appointed a man who is seen as a champion of white supremacy as the No.1 strategist in his White House,” Mr Reid said. “No.1 – everybody else is under him.”

Mr Reid then quoted media reports: “According to CNN … ‘white nationalist leaders are praising Donald Trump’s decision to name [Stephen Bannon] as his chief strategist’.”

Four Democratic Senators hold a press conference to call for Mr Bannon to be sacked by Mr Trump. Photo: Getty

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke told CNN: “I think that’s excellent [Mr Bannon’s hiring] … I think that anyone that helps complete the program and the policies that President-elect Trump has developed during the campaign is a very good thing.”

US House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said of Mr Bannon’s appointment: “There must be no sugarcoating the reality that a white nationalist has been named chief strategist for the Trump administration.”

Senior Republican and US House of Representatives majority leader Kevin McCarthy defended Mr Bannon: “I do not know Steve Bannon … I’ve always believed in giving someone a chance. I don’t like to prejudge people.”

Mr Bannon has also served as an officer in the US Navy and worked at investment bank Goldman Sachs. He then set up his own small investment bank which focused on media company mergers and acquisitions.

After he sold his business in 1995, he became a Hollywood producer. Perhaps his most infamous film was a documentary about Sarah Palin. Mr Bannon’s look at the rise of the former Alaskan Governor and 2008 US vice-presidential candidate was titled The Undefeated.