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Is Steve Bannon the second most powerful man in the world? The question was posed by Time magazine, when the then-chief White House strategist appeared on the cover of the February 2017 issue along with the epithet “master manipulator.”
Three years after being fired from the White House, Bannon made headlines again in August of last year. But then the tone had hardened, the articles dealing with the criminal charges against him and three other men. They were accused of defrauding hundreds of thousands of people who donated money to a private initiative to support Trump’s controversial physical construction along the US-Mexico border.
Bannon denies wrongdoing, claiming he was the victim of a “political assassination attempt” to intimidate and detain those who want to speak out about the wall.
Produced film
Bannon, 67, has experience in the Navy, as well as at the investment bank Goldman Sachs and as a film producer in Hollywood. In 2012, he took over the controversial site Breitbart News, a platform for so-called xenophobic movements of America’s alt-right.
But it was when he joined Donald Trump during the future president’s election campaign in 2016 that he became a better known name.
The Harvard-educated Bannon is widely seen as influential as chief strategist in the White House and in Trump’s isolationist worldview, where they shared the “America First” attitude. They both seemed almost ideological soul mates. Bannon championed economic nationalism and was the mastermind behind some of Trump’s most controversial measures, such as closing US borders to Muslims.
He was fired
But the direct line to Trump ended abruptly when the chief strategist had to resign in August 2017, after just seven months on the job. Bannon was fired following reports of a power struggle between him and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, as well as with other top advisers.
Bannon briefly returned to Breitbart News and promised that “Bannon the Barbarian” would go to war against Trump’s opponents. But the gap between him and his former boss soon grew. The President of the United States tweeted about his former employee that “when he was fired, he not only lost his job, he went crazy.” Trump also nicknamed him “Sloppy Steve.”
After leaving Trump and then Breitbart, Bannon, who has said it is an honor to be called a racist, formed a foundation to promote “right-wing populism.” He turned his attention to Europe, aiming to rally populists and the far right ahead of the 2019 EU elections. He met with a number of nationalist and xenophobic politicians, including Matteo Salvini in Italy, Marine Le Pen in France and Viktor Orbán in Poland.
But then trouble mounted at home and Bannon was arrested aboard a luxury yacht. According to the indictment, $ 25 million was raised online to help fund part of Trump’s promised border wall, but hundreds of thousands of dollars are allegedly funneled into Bannon’s own pocket.
Forgiven by Trump
When the spotlight shifted back to Bannon, Trump commented that it was “sad” for the former chief strategist, but also emphasized that he had had nothing to do with his former adviser for a long time.
But now Trump is ending his four years in power by including Bannon on the list of pardons. According to the US media, Trump must have made the decision at the last second after speaking with Bannon on the phone.
“Bannon has been an important leader in the Conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the White House wrote.
Sofia Eriksson / TT
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