American media executive and political strategist (born 1953)
This article is about the American alt-right political activist and strategist. For the American progressive political writer and blogger, seeSteve Benen.
Bannon was an officer in theUnited States Navy from 1977 to 1983, after which he worked for two years atGoldman Sachs as an investment banker. In 1993, he became acting director of the research projectBiosphere 2. He was anexecutive producer on 18Hollywood films from 1991 to 2016. In 2007, he co-foundedBreitbart News, a website which he described in 2016 as "the platform for thealt-right".[a] In the mid-2010s, Bannon was a vice president ofCambridge Analytica, a firm that collected data on millions of Facebook users, without theirinformed consent, for use in Trump’s campaign andBrexit, in some cases spreadingfake news. Later knowledge of this data breach prompted theFacebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
In 2016, Bannon became the chief executive officer ofTrump's 2016 presidential campaign[18][19] and was appointed chief strategist and seniorcounselor to the president following Trump's election. He left the position eight months later and rejoinedBreitbart. In January 2018, after his criticism of Trump's children was reported inMichael Wolff's bookFire and Fury, he was disavowed by Trump and subsequently leftBreitbart.[20][21]
In August 2020, Bannon and three others were arrested on federal charges ofconspiracy to commitmail fraud andmoney laundering in connection with theWe Build the Wall fundraising campaign. According to thegrand jury indictment, Bannon and the defendants promised that all contributions would go to building a U.S.–Mexico border wall, but instead enriched themselves. Bannon pleaded not guilty.[26] On January 20, 2021, his last day in office, Trump pardoned Bannon, sparing him from a federal trial, but did not pardon his codefendants.[27][28][29] Federal pardons do not cover state offenses, and in September 2022, Bannon was charged inNew York state court on counts offraud, money laundering, and conspiracy in connection with the campaign.[2][30] In February 2025, pursuant to an agreement with prosecutors, Bannon pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and was sentenced to three years of conditional discharge.[31][32]
Stephen Kevin Bannon was born November 27, 1953,[38][39][40] inNorfolk, Virginia, to Doris (née Herr), a homemaker, and Martin J. Bannon Jr.,[41] who worked as anAT&T telephonelineman and as a middle manager.[42][43] He grew up in a working-class family that was pro-Kennedy and pro-unionDemocrat.[44] He is of Irish and German descent. Much of his mother's side of the family settled in theBaltimore area.[45] Bannon graduated fromBenedictine College Preparatory, a private, Catholic, military high school inRichmond, Virginia, in 1971, and then attendedVirginia Tech,[46] where he served as the president of the student government association.[47] During the summers he worked at a local junkyard.[48]
"I wasn't political until I got into the service and saw how badlyJimmy Carter fucked things up. I became a huge Reagan admirer.[46] Still am. But what turned me against the whole establishment was coming back from running companies in Asia in 2008 and seeing that[George W.] Bush had fucked up as badly as Carter. The whole country was a disaster."[52]
Investment banking
After his military service, Bannon worked atGoldman Sachs as aninvestment banker in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department.[58] In 1987, he relocated from New York to Los Angeles, to assist Goldman in expanding their presence in the entertainment industry.[46] He stayed at this position with Goldman in Los Angeles for two years, and left with the title ofvice president.[59][b]
Media and investing
In 1990, Bannon and several colleagues from Goldman Sachs launched their own company Bannon & Co., aboutique investment bank specializing in media. In one of Bannon & Co.'s transactions, the firm representedWestinghouse Electric, which wanted to sellCastle Rock Entertainment.[52] Bannon negotiated a sale of Castle Rock toTurner Broadcasting System, which was owned byTed Turner at the time.[46] Instead of a full adviser's fee, Bannon & Co. accepted a financial stake in five television shows, includingSeinfeld,[46] which was in its third season. Bannon still receives cash residuals each timeSeinfeld is aired.[46][61] In 1998,Société Générale purchased Bannon & Co.[46][52]
Earth science
In 1993, while still managing Bannon & Co., Bannon became acting director of the earth science research projectBiosphere 2 inOracle, Arizona. Under Bannon, the closed-system experiment project shifted emphasis from researching human space exploration and colonization toward the scientific study of earth's environment, pollution, and climate change.[46] He left the project in 1995.[62][63]
Entertainment and media
Bannon in 2010
In the 1990s, Bannon ventured into entertainment and media and became a Hollywood film and media executive producer. Bannon produced 18 films,[43] includingSean Penn's dramaThe Indian Runner (1991), andJulie Taymor's filmTitus (1999).[46][64] Bannon became a partner with entertainment industry executiveJeff Kwatinetz at film and television management companyThe Firm, Inc., where he served in 2002 and 2003.[52][65]
In 2006, Bannon persuadedGoldman Sachs to invest in a company known asInternet Gaming Entertainment.[68] Following a lawsuit, the company rebranded as Affinity Media, and Bannon took over as CEO. From 2007 through 2011, Bannon was the chair and CEO of Affinity Media.[69][70]
In 2007, Bannon wrote an eight-pagetreatment for another documentary,Destroying the Great Satan: The Rise of Islamic Facism in America. The outline states, "although driven by the 'best intentions,' institutions such as the media, the Jewish community and government agencies were appeasing jihadists aiming to create an Islamic republic."[71] In 2011, Bannon spoke at the Liberty Restoration Foundation inOrlando, Florida, about theeconomic crisis of 2008, theTroubled Assets Relief Program, and their impact in the origins of theTea Party movement, and his filmsGeneration Zero (2010) andThe Undefeated.[72]
In 2007, Bannon was a founding board member ofBreitbart News,[73][74] afar-right news, opinion and commentary website. Philip Elliott and Zeke J. Miller ofTime have said that the site has "pushed racist, sexist, xenophobic andantisemitic material into the vein of the alternative right".[10] Bannon said thatBreitbart's ideological mix included libertarians, Zionists, the conservative gay community, same-sex marriage opponents, economic nationalists, populists, as well as thealt-right, with the alt-right comprising a very small proportion overall. Conceding the alt-right holds views with "racial and anti-Semitic overtones", Bannon said he has zero tolerance for such views.[75][76]
In March 2012, following the death ofBreitbart News founderAndrew Breitbart, Bannon became executive chairman of Breitbart News LLC, the parent company ofBreitbart News.[77][78][79] Under his leadership,Breitbart's editorial tone became more nationalistic, and also became increasingly friendly to the alt-right.[80] In 2016, Bannon declared the website "the platform for the alt-right".[11] Speaking about his role atBreitbart, Bannon said, "We think of ourselves as virulently anti-establishment, particularly 'anti-' the permanent political class."[81]Ben Shapiro, a formerBreitbart editor and colleague of Bannon, called Bannon a "'bully' who 'sold out [Breitbart founder] Andrew's mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump.'"[82]
On August 18, 2017,Breitbart announced that Bannon would return as executive chairman following his period of employment at the White House.[83] Because of the break with Trump, Bannon's position as head ofBreitbart News was called into question byBreitbart's owners.[24][84] On January 9, 2018, five months after his appointment, he stepped down as executive chairman.[85] The billionaire funders ofBreitbart,Robert andRebekah Mercer,[84] reportedly decided to push Bannon out fromBreitbart, in part because of his break with Trump and in part because they had become weary of Bannon's "impulsive and attention-seeking antics" and Bannon's expenditures on "travel and private security".[86]
Bannon hosted a radio show,Breitbart News Daily, on theSiriusXM Patriot satellite radio channel.[87]
While somegamers liked IGE's offers ofWorld of Warcraft money that would typically take hours to farm, other gamers called it cheating. Many gamers responded by postinganti-Chinese vitriol.Blizzard Entertainment, the video game's owners, eventually shut down accounts used by gold farmers. IGE was also the target of a class action lawsuit by a player who said IGE's practices were "substantially impairing" people's enjoyment of the game.[88]
While IGE's business model failed, Bannon became interested in the game's online community, describing its members as "rootless white males, [who] had monster power". ThroughBreitbart News editorMilo Yiannopoulos, whom Bannon recruited, Bannon realized that he could "activate that army" of gamers andInternet trolls, adding, "They c[a]me in throughGamergate or whatever and then get turned onto politics and Trump."[88]
Bannon was executive chair and co-founder of theGovernment Accountability Institute, a tax-exempt501(c)(3) organization where he helped orchestrate the publication ofBreitbart News seniorEditor-at-large[91]Peter Schweizer's bookClinton Cash,[52][92] from its founding in 2012 until his departure in August 2016.[93] The organization creates fact-based indictments against politicians using the deep web, tax filings, flight logs, and foreign government documents and then forwards their findings to the media.[94][52] The organization is registered as nonpartisan but it mainly investigates alleged corruption, crony capitalism, and misuse of taxpayer money within theDemocratic Party. The group has spread conspiracy theories aboutHillary Clinton andJoe Biden.[95][94] For the years 2012 through 2015, he received between $81,000 and $100,000 each year; the organization reported that he worked an average of 30 hours per week for the organization.[93]
Bannon served as vice president of the board ofCambridge Analytica, a data-analytics firm owned largely by theMercer family,[9] who also co-ownsBreitbart News; the firm allegedly used illegal tactics to target American voters in the 2016 election.[96] According to former Analytica employeeChristopher Wylie, Bannon oversaw the collection of Facebook data which was used to target American voters.[97] Wylie who helped with creation of the company referred to the company as a "psychological warfare tool".[98] Bannon was paid more than $125,000 for his work at Cambridge Analytica.[99][100] Bannon's stake in Cambridge Analytica was estimated at $1–5 million, but he sold his stake in the company once he joined the Trump administration in April 2017.[101][102][103][104][105]
In 2017, Bannon foundedthe Movement, a populist organization which frequently promotes right wing populist groups in Europe which are against the EU government and political system in Europe. The group is also known for its opposition toGeorge Soros'sOpen Society Foundations, Bannon has referred to Soros as "evil but brilliant".[106] The organization employes 10 full time staff members.Mischaël Modrikamen, the leader of the Belgian People's Party, serves as executive director. The organization has received praise from figures like Prime MinisterViktor Orbán and Italian Eurosceptic party M5S leaderLuigi Di Maio.[107]
A placard criticizing Bannon at an anti-Trump protest in November 2016
On August 17, 2016, with 88 days until the 2016 presidential election, Bannon was appointed chief executive of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.[108] Bannon leftBreitbart, the Government Accountability Institute[93] and Cambridge Analytica,[109] to take the job. Shortly after he had assumed the chief executive role, the chairman of the Trump campaign,Paul Manafort, was dismissed.[77][78][110][111]
On November 15, 2016, U.S. representativeDavid Cicilline of Rhode Island released a letter to Trump signed by 169 Democratic House representatives urging the president-elect to rescind his appointment of Bannon. The letter stated that appointing Bannon "sends a disturbing message about what kind of president Donald Trump wants to be",[128][129][130] because his "ties to the White Nationalist movement have been well documented"; it went on to present several examples ofBreitbart News's alleged xenophobia.[131][130][132] Bannon denied being a white nationalist and said, rather, that he was an "economic nationalist".[133]
On November 18, during his first interview not conducted by Breitbart Media since the2016 presidential election, Bannon remarked on some criticisms made about him, saying, "Darkness is good:Dick Cheney.Darth Vader.Satan. That's power. It only helps us when they get it wrong. When they're blind to who we are and what we're doing."[134] The quote was published widely in the media.[135][136][137][138]
In an interview withThe New York Times in late November, Trump responded to the controversy over Bannon's appointment, saying, "I've known Steve Bannon a long time. If I thought he was a racist, or alt-right, or any of the things that we can, you know, the terms we can use, I wouldn't even think about hiring him."[139]
In an interview withBBC Newsnight, Bannon said that his role was to "recalibrate" the campaign, which had at that point lost its message. He "stepped in and got the campaign refocused", but he rebuffed the idea that he was the reason Trump won the presidency, saying "Trump is unique in American political history, he's his own closer." Bannon said his role was to make sure that Hillary Clinton was held up as a "guardian of a corrupt and incompetent establishment" and this was key to winning votes in states that Trump needed to win.[140]
Bannon and other advisors watching Trump sign an executive order in theOval Office in January 2017Bannon shakes hands with White House Chief of StaffReince Priebus at 2017CPAC.
In 2018,Michael Lewis published a quote ascribed to Bannon, made while thetransition team for Trump was supposed to be preparing for thenext administration, andThe Guardian used it twice in the title of an excerpt from the 2018 Lewis bookThe Fifth Risk.[142] The book examined the difference between the transition preparations provided by the administration that was exiting and what did or did not occur, and it revealed a profound lack of preparedness and concern, as expressed in the quote.
At the end of January 2017, in a departure from the previous format of theNational Security Council (NSC), the holder of Bannon's position, along with that of thechief of staff, were designated by presidential memorandum as regular attendees to the NSC's Principals Committee, a Cabinet-level senior inter-agency forum for considering national security issues.[143][144] The enacted arrangement was criticized by several members of previous administrations and was called "stone cold crazy" bySusan E. Rice, Barack Obama's last national security adviser.[145] In response,White House press secretarySean Spicer pointed to Bannon's seven years experience as a Navy officer in justifying his presence on the committee.[146]
Presidency of Donald Trump
Upon his inauguration, Trump appointed Bannon to be hischief strategist, a newly created position. The title made him acounselor to the president, nearly equivalent in authority to the chief of staff.[112] As a staff member in theExecutive Office of the President, the position did not requireSenate confirmation.[147]Breitbart News editorJulia Hahn followed Bannon to the White House, where she was appointed as Bannon's aide, as well as special assistant to President Trump.[148]
Several days afterTrump's inauguration, on January 26, Bannon toldThe New York Times, "The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while. I want you to quote this: the media here is the opposition party. They don't understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States."[152]
Bannon andStephen Miller were involved in the creation ofExecutive Order 13769, which resulted in restricted U.S. travel and immigration by individuals from seven countries, suspension of theUnited States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days, and indefinite suspension of the entry ofSyrians to the United States.[153][154] According toThe Economist, a British news magazine, Bannon and Miller "see Mr [Vladimir] Putin as a fellow nationalist and crusader against cosmopolitanism".[155]
In February 2017, Bannon appeared on the cover ofTime, on which he was labeled "the Great Manipulator".[156] The headline used for the associated article was "Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?", alluding to Bannon's perceived influence in the White House.[157]
In a March 14, 2019, hearing of the HouseCommittee on Oversight and Government Reform,Commerce Department secretaryWilbur Ross was questioned about his conversations regarding the adding of a citizenship question to the 2020 census surveys, which he had with Bannon, who in turn had referred him to immigration hardlinersKris Kobach andAttorney GeneralJeff Sessions. Missouri Democratic representativeLacy Clay accused Ross of being "complicit" regarding his efforts to weaken minority group voting rights, additionally accusing him of committing perjury with respect to those contacts. Clay called for Ross to tender his resignation, saying, "You lied to Congress. You misled the American people and you are complicit in the Trump administration's intent to suppress the growing political power of the non-white population." Ross said the change was in response to a request by the Justice Department for statistics to protect voting rights.[158] On April 23, 2019, theUnited States Supreme Court heard arguments regarding appeals of rejections by three circuit courts of the proposed inclusion of the survey question.[159][160]
It was reported that Bannon intentionally published stories to undermineH. R. McMaster. Bannon allegedly did this by leaking information to the alternative media, including alt-right writerMike Cernovich.[161][162] It was also reported that the Trump administration retroactively granted Bannon a blanket exemption from federal ethics rules that allowed him to communicate with editors atBreitbart News,[163] which according to formerBreitbart consultant Kurt Bardella would be proof of the administration's intent to allow him to continue being "thede facto editorial director ofBreitbart" (italics added).[164] In the final hours ofDonald Trump's administration, Steve Bannon was issued a presidential pardon. The accompanying announcement said he was "an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen".[165]
Bannon was removed from his NSC role in early April 2017 in a reorganization byU.S. national security advisorH. R. McMaster, whom Bannon had helped select.[166] Some White House officials said Bannon's main purpose in serving on the committee was as a check against former national security advisorMichael T. Flynn, who had resigned in February 2017 for misleading the vice president about a conversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States.[167][168] Hence, with Flynn gone, Bannon was no longer needed.[166] Bannon reportedly opposed his removal from the council and threatened to quit if President Trump went forward with it, although Republican megadonorRebekah Mercer urged him to stay.[9] The White House said Bannon had not attempted to leave, and Bannon said any indication that he threatened resignation was "total nonsense".[9][169] Bannon only attended one NSC meeting.[170]
Russia investigation
Bannon was interviewed multiple times byRobert Mueller as part of theinvestigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Bannon was reportedly interviewed about Roger Stone's contact with WikiLeaks.[171] In November 2019, Bannon gave evidence in the federal criminal trial ofRoger Stone. Bannon did not voluntarily testify; rather, he was compelled to give evidence undersubpoena.[172] Bannon testified that Stone wasWikiLeaks' access point for theTrump campaign; the testimony helped establish that Stone lied to Congress. Stone was subsequently convicted on all charges (lying to Congress andwitness tampering),[173][174] but on July 10, 2020, his federal prison sentence was commuted by President Trump.[175] Asked for a comment after Bannon himself was arrested on August 20, 2020, Stone replied, "Karma is a bitch. But I am praying for him."[176]
In August 2020, members of the Senate intelligence committee told theDepartment of Justice (DOJ) that they believed that Bannon, Jared Kushner, andDonald Trump Jr. may have misled them with their testimony about Russia investigation.[177][178]
Quotes in Michael Wolff books
In January 2018, upon the publication of Michael Wolff's bookFire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which attributed many controversial and inflammatory statements to Bannon, Bannon and Trump became estranged and were widely seen as enemies.[179][180] The book quoted Bannon as saying thatIvanka Trump was "as dumb as a brick";[21] that themeeting among Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and agents of Russia was "treasonous";[181] and that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller would causeDonald Trump Jr. to "crack like an egg on live television".[182] Bannon also warned that investigators would likely uncovermoney laundering involvingJared Kushner and his family business loans fromDeutsche Bank.[183]
In his 2019 bookSiege, Wolff wrote, "Trump was vulnerable because for 40 years he had run what increasingly seemed to resemble a semi-criminal enterprise," then quoted Bannon as saying, "I think we can drop the 'semi' part." Wolff wrote that Bannon predicted investigations into Trump's finances would be his political downfall, quoting Bannon as saying, "This is where it isn't a witch hunt – even for the hard core, this is where he turns into just a crooked business guy, and one worth $50 million instead of $10 billion. Not the billionaire he said he was, just another scumbag."[184]
Relationship with Donald Trump
In January 2018, after excerpts fromFire and Fury were published, Trump promptly disavowed Bannon, saying that Bannon "lost his mind" when he left the White House, and attacking him in multiple angry statements.[185][186] Trump asserted in a tweet that Bannon had "cried when he got fired and begged for his job"[187][188] and publicly referred to Bannon with anunflattering nickname ("Sloppy Steve") in reference to Bannon's usually disheveled appearance.[189][190] On January 7, 2018, Bannon expressed regret over his delayed response, declared his "unwavering" support for Trump and his agenda, and praised Donald Trump Jr.[191] Bannon said his remarks about the campaign meeting were aimed at Manafort instead of Trump Jr., a detail which Wolff contested.[192]
Despite Trump's disparagement of him, Bannon retained ties with Trump.[189][187] In an appearance in August 2019 onCNBC, Bannon praised Trump as a "great leader as president" and "amazing campaigner"; in response, Trump called Bannon "one of my best pupils" and "still a giant Trump fan" and said he "loved working with" Bannon.[187] In 2018, Bannon released a pro-Trump documentary,Trump @War through his production company, Victory Films; the film aimed to galvanize Trump supporters ahead of the 2018 elections in a bid to keep a Republican majority in the House.[193][194] In October 2019, Bannon began co-hostingWar Room: Impeachment, a daily radio show and podcast in which he offered advice to the Trump administration and its allies on how to counter theimpeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[195] In 2020, Bannon began a podcastWar Room: Pandemic, broadcast from his Capitol Hill townhouse; Bannon told friends that Trump had "told others that he watches the program and that the president was familiar enough with it to cite specific interviews he had seen when the two men spoke this summer".[189] A February 2023Brookings Institution study found Bannon's podcast contained the highest proportion of false, misleading and unsubstantiated statements among 36,603 episodes produced by 79 prominent political podcasters.[196]
Departure from the White House
Bannon's employment in the White House ended on August 18, 2017, less than a week after the August 11–12, 2017, CharlottesvilleUnite the Right rally which degenerated into violence and acrimony. Whereas members of both political parties condemned the hatred and violence of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and alt-right activists,The New York Times noted that Trump "was the only national political figure to spread blame for the 'hatred, bigotry and violence' that resulted in the death of one person to 'many sides'."[197] The decision to blame "many sides" was reported to have come from Bannon.[198] TheNAACP released a statement saying that while they "acknowledge and appreciate President Trump's disavowment of the hatred which has resulted in a loss of life today", they called on Trump "to take the tangible step to remove Steve Bannon – a well-known white supremacist leader – from his team of advisers". The statement further described Bannon as a "symbol ofwhite nationalism" who "energized that sentiment" through his current position within the White House.[199][200]
Some sources stated that White House chief of staffJohn F. Kelly asked Bannon on August 18, 2017, to submit his immediate resignation in lieu of being fired.[201] Bannon, however, stated he was not fired but rather submitted his two-week resignation notice on August 4, 2017.[202] He remindedThe Weekly Standard that he had joined then-presidential candidate Trump's campaign on August 14, 2016, and said he'd "always planned on spending one year", but that he stayed a few more days due to theUnite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[203]
In an official statement, White House press secretarySarah Huckabee Sanders said: "John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day. We are grateful for his service and wish him the best."[204][205][206]
The same day,Breitbart News announced that Bannon would return to the site as executive chairman.[83] Several weeks after his departure it was reported that Trump still called Bannon using his personal cell phone and was only calling when chief of staff Kelly was not around.[207]The Washington Post reported in October 2017 that Trump and Bannon remained in regular contact.[208]
Republican Senate primaries
Bannon has made efforts to unseat incumbent Republican members of Congress he deemed to be insufficiently supportive of Trump's agenda.[209][210][211] In October 2017, Bannon said he planned to sponsor primary challenges against six of the seven incumbent Republican senators in the 2018 elections. He said he had two requirements for a candidate to earn his support: they must pledge to vote againstMitch McConnell asSenate majority leader and to end theSenate filibuster.[212] Bannon used his group Citizens of the American Republic to aide him in his efforts to help keep Republican control of theHouse of Representatives in the 2018 election.[213] The group is adark money organization;[214] Bannon declined to "describe his donors or how much money the group has raised".[213]
Bannon received credit for helpingRoy Moore defeat incumbent senatorLuther Strange in the September Republican primary for the2017 special Alabama Senate election, despite Trump's having endorsed Strange.[215] After nine womenalleged sexual misconduct, Bannon doubled down on his support for the candidate, raising doubt about the veracity of the accusations.[216] WhenIvanka Trump condemned Moore's campaign in Alabama, saying "there's a special place in hell for people who prey on children", Bannon responded, "What about the allegations about her dad and that 13-year-old?", in reference to a woman who accused Trump and sex offenderJeffrey Epstein of raping her at that age.
In what had been considered a safe Republican seat, Moore lost the election on December 12, 2017. Bannon's reputation as a political strategist was subsequently questioned by Republican commentators.[22][23]
Bannon supports theDignitatis Humanae Institute, a right-wing Catholic organization in Italy formerly based in what was previouslyTrisulti Charterhouse; Bannon drafted a leadership course curriculum for the group to train conservative Catholic political activists.[245] In 2018, Bannon announced that he planned to establish a right-wing academy on the site,[246][247] with the support of Benjamin Harnwell, a British associate of Bannon's who underwrote the project and aimed to create a "gladiator school for culture warriors".[248][249] However, in 2019, the group's rights to use the former monastery were revoked by the Italian government because it determined that the lessee Dignitatis Humanae Institute failed to meet several criteria to operate the monastery and failed in its obligation to pay a "concession fee" as well as maintenance and security expenses.[250][247]
In August 2018, Bannon met withEduardo Bolsonaro, the son of far-right candidateJair Bolsonaro, and served as informal advisor to theBolsonaro campaign in theBrazilian presidential elections that year.[251] In February 2019, the younger Bolsonaro joined Bannon's organization the Movement as its representative in South America.[252][253] In March 2019, Bannon met with both Bolsonaros in Washington, D.C.[254]
In October 2017, after leaving theWhite House, Bannon met exiled Chinese billionaire businessmanGuo Wengui (also known as Miles Kwok), and the pair cultivated a friendship, frequently meeting in Dallas, at Guo's apartment atthe Sherry-Netherland in New York, and on Guo's yacht.[255] In 2017, Guo reportedly gave a $150,000 loan to Bannon shortly after he left the White House, and a Guo-linked company entered into a $1 million consulting contract with Bannon, beginning in August 2018.[214] In early 2020, Bannon and Guo raised hundreds of millions of dollars in aprivate offering for a company calledGTV Media Group. In August 2020, theWall Street Journal reported that the fundraising for the company was under investigation of federal and state authorities.[256]
Guo has allowed Bannon to use one of his two private jets, and during the 2018 election campaign, Bannon flew on Guo'sBombardier Global Express to events in support of Republican congressional candidates in New Mexico and Arizona.[214] The flights were revealed in February 2020 byProPublica.[214] Bannon made the flights under the auspices of hisdark money group,Citizens of the American Republic.[214] Several campaign finance experts who spoke withProPublica said the trips could violate federal campaign finance law, which prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions to candidates in U.S. political campaigns (includingin-kind contributions such as payment for campaign-related travel).[214] Guo and Bannon denied that the travel was for campaign activity; an attorney for Bannon's group stated that the trips on the private jet were to promote Bannon's film,Trump@War.[214]
On June 3, 2020, Bannon and Guo participated in declaring a "New Federal State of China" (also called "Federal State of New China"). It was said that they would overthrow the Chinese government. In New York City, planes were seen carrying banners which said, "Congratulations to Federal State of New China!".[257]
On August 20, 2020, federal prosecutors in New York unsealed criminal charges against Stephen K. Bannon and three other men they alleged defrauded donors to a massive crowdfunding campaign that said it was raising money for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. After Bannon's arrest, Guo Wengui hurriedly cut ties with him, stressed that he was not involved in Bannon's affairs outside their shared efforts "fighting for democracy in China", and would no longer allow Bannon to continue to serve as a member of Guo Media's board of directors.[258]
In November 2020,The New York Times reported that Bannon along withGuo Wengui had been promotingLi-Meng Yan's account of COVID-19. The pair had bought Yan a plane ticket to the United States, provided her accommodation, coached her in media appearances and helped secure interviews with conservative television hosts includingTucker Carlson. Yan later said that the COVID-19 virus was artificially made, however her interview was rejected on social media as misinformation and her research rejected by scientists who said it was "based on conjecture" though filled with jargon.[259][260]
On January 20, 2021, the Chinese government imposedsanctions against Bannon and 27 other Trump administration officials that "planned, promoted and executed a series of crazy moves, gravely interfered in China's internal affairs, undermined China's interests, offended the Chinese people, and seriously disrupted China-U.S. relations". The sanctions ban them from entering China, including Hong Kong and Macau, and restrict companies and institutions associated with them from doing business in China.[261]
Treatment of colleagues
In an interview with Frontline, former writer forBreitbart NewsBen Shapiro said that he tried to avoid interacting with Bannon due to a fear of being on his bad side. Shapiro also recalled Bannon yelling and cursing at people atBreitbart News.[262][263] Those who worked with Bannon have described him as "egomaniacal" and "purely Machiavellian".[264] Other former staffers at Breitbart who spoke to Politico said that Bannon would degrade employees by mocking their intelligence and would imply they were "expendable, low-life creatures". Several employees who left Breitbart alleged that when they attempted to find employment outside of Breitbart, Bannon attempted to sabotage them. However, other employees praised Bannon's leadership describing him as a generous, loyal, caring, and supportive. Many described Bannon as someone who would pay out of his own pocket for personal expenses.[265]
In his memoir, White House senior adviserJared Kushner recalled having an abrasive relationship with Bannon and two occasions in which Bannon threatened him, including one in which he threatened to 'break Kushner in half' after he accused Bannon of leaking to the press.[266][267] Also in his memoir Kushner writes "Bannon single-handedly caused more problems for me than anyone else in my time in Washington. He probably leaked and lied about me more than everyone else combined. He played dirty and dragged me into the mud of the Russia investigation".[268]
He only paid part of the $850,000 legal bill charged by Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron LLP, who represented him in the case for contempt of Congress for his defiance of the January 6 committee subpoena and in the case for the "We Build the Wall" fraud scheme. The law firm sued Bannon, and in July 2023, he was ordered to pay the remaining balance.[269]
Connection to Jeffrey Epstein
According toMichael Wolff, Bannon was introduced toJeffrey Epstein in 2017 and Epstein introduced Bannon to some of his friends.[270] Bannon also worked withEhud Barak and attorney Reid Weingarten to attempt to reform Epstein's public image.[271][270] Later reports showed Bannon reportedly prepped Epstein for an interview with60 Minutes that ultimately never occurred. Bannon confirmed that he did tape 15 hours of interviews with Epstein but denied that he was coaching him for further interviews and that the footage was for an unannounced documentary on Epstein.[272][273][274]
Criminal prosecutions
Dismissed 1996 domestic violence charges
Bannon was charged with misdemeanordomestic violence,battery, and dissuading a witness in early January 1996 after his then-wife, Mary Piccard, accused Bannon of domestic abuse. TheSanta Monica Police Department crime report states that after Piccard called 911, an officer arrived at their home and observed red marks on Piccard's wrist and neck.[275][276] The charges were later dropped when Piccard did not appear in court.[277] In her divorce filing, Piccard stated her absence was due to threats made against her by Bannon and his lawyer: Bannon, she said, told her, "if I went to court, he and his attorney would make sure that I would be the one who was guilty." She said that Bannon's lawyer also threatened her, telling her that if Mr. Bannon went to jail, she "would have no money and no way to support the children". Bannon's lawyer denied pressuring Piccard not to testify.[277]
Federal prosecutors allege that Bannon and the three other men conspired to use a non-profit group run by Bannon, and ashell company controlled by one of the other defendants, to make payments to themselves, despite promises to donors that their contributions would go to build a wall. Prosecutors also alleged that Bannon received more than $1 million in connection with the plan, some of which was paid to Kolfage in secret[284][279][280] and some of which Bannon and two other defendants allegedly used for personal expenses ranging from paying off credit cards to personal travel.[287] Prosecutors stated that they plan to seize the assets of Bannon's non-profit Citizens of the American Republic, as well as other organizations "politically aligned with [Donald] Trump".[288]
Bannon was arrested byU.S. postal inspectors onLong Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut,[289] on boardPeople's Republic of ChinaexpatriateGuo Wengui'sluxury yacht. Later that day, Bannon pleaded not guilty to the charges.[279][290] Bannon was released pending trial on a $5 million bond, of which Bannon was required toput up $1.7 million.[283] He was required to surrender his passport and his domestic travel was restricted.[291] Following the indictment, Donald Trump[292] and his son,Donald Trump Jr. distanced themselves from Bannon. Trump Jr. had originally been supportive of Bannon's fundraising efforts for the Mexico–United States border wall.[293][294][295][285]
At apreliminary hearing on August 31, U.S. district judgeAnalisa Torres set a trial date for May 24, 2021.[26] Prosecutors revealed that they had collected a large number of emails found on various devices and online storage accounts after search warrants were executed—some earlier in the year.[296]
In February, 2025, Bannon pleaded guilty to one state felony count of a scheme to defraud in the first degree and was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge, without any prison time or restitution.[297]
Pardon by Trump
Trump pardon for Steve Bannon, and 27 other individuals, on January 19, 2021, the last full day ofTrump's term of office
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, January 19, the final full day of Trump's presidency,Trump issued a series of pardons[298] to 144 individuals, including Bannon.[299] The White House released the list of pardoned individuals at 12:50am on January 20, Trump's final day in office.[28]
In May 2021, Judge Torres, following the precedent of criminal cases being dismissed following presidential pardons, dismissed the fraud case against Bannon. Torres said that because the pardon was valid, dismissal of the indictment was "the proper course".[300] In her ruling, Torres stated that despite Bannon not pleading guilty, "the issuance of a pardon may carry an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it."[301] She further quoted: "If there be no guilt, there is no ground for forgiveness."[300]
2022 New York state indictment
Federal pardons only cover federal offenses, so Trump's pardon of Bannon did not preclude state charges against him. By February 2021, theManhattan district attorney had issued subpoenas toWells Fargo Bank andGoFundMe, which had provided accounts for the venture.[302][303] In August 2022, Bannon was indicted on New York state charges of money laundering, conspiracy and fraud related to the $25 million "We Build the Wall" scheme.[304] Bannon said the charges were politically motivated, and—invoking a common right-wing conspiracy theory—linked somehow to financierGeorge Soros.[305] Bannon said that he and Trump would not "stop fighting" and "they will have to kill me first".[305]
He surrendered to authorities on September 8, 2022.[304] The trial was originally expected to start May 27, 2024, however it was postponed to September 23, 2024 because the judge in that case, Juan Merchan, was also overseeing theTrump "hush-money" case and was unavailable at that time.[306][307] Due to an ongoing conflict, Bannon's case was reassigned to JudgeApril Newbauer who later rescheduled it for December 9, 2024.[308][309] At Bannon's request, Newbauer again rescheduled it for February 25, 2025.[310] On February 11, 2025, Bannon "pleaded guilty to one state felony count of a scheme to defraud in the first degree and was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge."[311][312][313][314]
2022 contempt of Congress conviction and prison stay
On September 23, 2021, theU.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Bannon, ordering him to appear on October 14. His lawyers gave the committee advance notice that he would not comply. After he did not appear, the House of Representatives voted to hold him in criminal contempt of Congress and to refer him to the Justice Department. This was initiated by the nine-member committee's unanimous vote on October 19,[315] followed by the full House of Representatives which voted 229–202, with all 220 Democrats and 9 Republicans in favor of the resolution, on October 21.[316] He was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 12, 2021, on two criminal contempt charges: one count of not providing documents, and one count of not testifying.[317][318] Three days later, Bannon surrendered to theFBI.[319] He was represented bycriminal defense attorneyDavid Schoen.[319] He pleaded not guilty.[320]
Bannon wasreleased pending trial, withoutbail, but on conditions, including keeping authorities informed of his whereabouts, and not leaving the country.[321] An appeals court in April 2022 rejected his appeal regarding his failure to testify before the committee.[322]
In the days leading up to his trial, Bannon offered to testify before theJanuary 6 committee after all; U.S. district judgeCarl J. Nichols, a Trump appointee, rejected Bannon's offer as a "last-ditch attempt to avoid accountability." Bannon sought to delay his trial to October, citing negative publicity from the concurrenttelevised committee hearings; the court denied the motions.[323] Bannon incorrectly asserted Trump had claimedexecutive privilege over his testimony and documents,[324] and said he would call prominent Democrats such asNancy Pelosi to testify at his trial, asserting on his podcast, "we're going medieval on these people."[325] Nichols denied the defense motions, finding that Bannon was not entitled to raise an "advice of counsel" defense or an executive privilege defense.[326] After the judge's ruling, Bannon's attorney Schoen asked the court, "what's the point of going to trial if there are no defenses?", to which Nichols replied, "agreed", hinting that Bannon should seek a plea deal.[323]
The trial began on July 18, 2022, with the jury being finalized the next day.[327][328][329] Bannon declined to call witnesses or testify in his own defense.[326]
On July 22, 2022, the jury found Bannon guilty on both charges.[330][331]Bennie Thompson andLiz Cheney, the chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the January 6 Committee, called Bannon's conviction "a victory for therule of law and an important affirmation of the Select Committee's work".[332] The DOJ prosecutor said that Bannon "chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law" and "No one is above the law";[332] prosecutors also said that Bannon had "thumbed his nose" at American democracy and law.[33]
On October 21, 2022, Judge Nichols sentenced Bannon to serve four months in prison and pay a $6,500 fine.[333][334] Nichols stated in issuing the sentence, "Others must be deterred from committing similar crimes." The DOJ had requested the maximum penalty (six months in jail), plus a $200,000 fine.[33]
On November 4, 2022, Bannon appealed his conviction and sentence; he remained free pending appeal, with his sentence put on hold.[33][335] In January 2023, his lawyers argued that the DOJ had improperly searched his private communications.[336] Due to the unexpected death of a government lawyer's son, Bannon's appeal hearing was delayed from October 12[337] to November 9 at the request of the DOJ.[338][339] Bannon did not attend the hearing; his attorney David Schoen did.[340] On May 10, 2024, the appellate court unanimously upheld the conviction and on May 14, the DOJ filed a motion to lift Bannon's stay of sentence and have him report to prison.[341][342]
28 June 2024 Order of the Supreme Court denying Steve Bannon's request to delay his prison sentence
On June 6, 2024, Judge Carl Nichols granted the motion and ordered Bannon to report to prison by July 1 unless the full appeals court were to take the case and pause enforcement of the sentence.[343] Because of the pending case against him in New York, he was not eligible for a minimum-security prison, and it was decided that he would instead go toFederal Correctional Institution, Danbury, a low-security prison in Connecticut.[344] On June 26, House speakerMike Johnson said that House Republicans would intercede on behalf of Bannon with the federal court considering his appeal, though they did not file any briefs doing so.[345]
On June 21, Bannon made an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court,[346] which denied it in a one-sentence order on June 28.[347] He reported to the low-level securityFederal Correctional Institution, Danbury inDanbury, Connecticut on July 1, 2024, where he lived in a special veterans housing unit according to his federal prison consultantSam Mangel.[4][348][349][350][351] He was released on October 29.[37] He is the second Trump era official to be jailed for contempt related to defying a subpoena from the January 6 Committee, afterPeter Navarro.[348] Bannon was released fromBureau of Prisons custody on October 29, 2024.[352]
Social media bans
During the November 5, 2020, edition of his webcast, Bannon called for the beheadings ofAnthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, and FBI directorChristopher Wray. Bannon said that if it were up to him, after beheading Fauci and Wray, "I'd put theheads on pikes" and display them outside the White House "as a warning to bureaucrats" who dared oppose Trump. By the end of the day,Facebook andYouTube had deleted the video from their platforms, andTwitter had permanently banned his account for glorifying violence.Mailchimp also disabled Bannon's email newsletter.[353] The next day, Bannon was dropped by a lawyer who had been defending him against federal charges of fraud.[354]
On January 9, 2021,Rudy Giuliani appeared onWar Room, accusing Democrats of stealing therecent presidential election and blaming them for thestorming of the Capitol. Hours later, YouTube removed both the podcast channel and another one called "Trump at War – A Film by Stephen K. Bannon", citing a "violation of YouTube's Terms of Service".[355][356]
Despite being arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in connection with the We Build the Wall fundraising campaign in August 2020, in an interview, Bannon told journalistMichael Lewis in February 2018, "We got elected onDrain the Swamp,Lock Her Up,Build a Wall. This was pure anger. Anger and fear is what gets people to the polls." He added, "The Democrats don't matter. The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is toflood the zone with shit."[362]
Bannon was a strong opponent of theParis climate agreement. During his time in the Trump administration, he successfully persuadedDonald Trump to withdraw from it.[368]
Immigration
Bannon favorsreducing immigration, bothlegal andillegal immigration, to the U.S. and asserts that immigration threatens national sovereignty.[369] Bannon has suggested that too manySilicon Valley chief executives are Asian or South Asian,[369][370] and that this undermines "civic society".[370] In a 2015 radio appearance, Bannon expressed opposition to resettling anyrefugees of the Syrian Civil War in the U.S.[369] In a 2016 radio appearance, Bannon asserted that illegal immigration was "horrific" but that legal immigration was "the beating heart of this problem"; that levels of legal immigration to the U.S. were "scary"; and that legal immigrants had "kinda overwhelmed the country".[371] On his podcast, Bannon emphasized the need for "MAGA shock troops" to actively support Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations. He envisions these loyalists not only participating in street-level actions but also embedding within the Trump administration to ensure the comprehensive removal of undocumented immigrants.[372]
Bannon often describes himself as aneconomic nationalist, criticizingcrony capitalism,Austrian economics, and theobjectivist capitalism ofAyn Rand.[366][374][375][376] He also generally considers himself afree-market capitalist.[377] Bannon favors raising federal income taxes to 44 percent for those earning incomes over $5 million a year as a way to pay for middle class tax cuts.[378] He also supports significantly increasing spending on infrastructure, describing himself as "the guy pushing a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan".[134]
In 2014, during a conference at the Vatican, Bannon criticized Wall Street for its role in the2008 financial crisis. He has also criticized bail outs for big banks and is angered by the fact that Wall Street banks have not been held accountable for the financial crisis, which he says fueled populist fury and groups such as theTea Party.[379]
Gun control
Amid ongoing national debates ongun violence andgun control, Bannon has been vocal in advocating for broader access to firearms, emphasizing the importance of theSecond Amendment. He has been vocal in warning Trump against any shifts towards gun control, emphasizing the potential for intense backlash from the president's base. A notable instance of this was his reaction to the 2017Las Vegas shooting, where Bannon insisted that any move by Trump towards gun control would be the "end of everything," suggesting that it would be received even more negatively than an immigration amnesty bill by Trump's political base.[380][381] Expanding on his pro-gun stance, Bannon sparked controversy by advocating for the arming and training of children in the use of firearms. Speaking atTurning Point USA's America Fest in December 2023, he proposed that gun classes should be integrated intoschool curriculums as a means for children to defend themselves against bullies.[382][383]
Bannon has described U.S. allies in Europe, thePersian Gulf, theSouth China Sea, theStrait of Malacca, as well as South Korea and Japan, as having become "protectorates of the United States" that do not "make an effort to defend [themselves]", and believesNATO members should pay a minimum of 2% of GDP on defense.[388]
During his tenure as White House chief strategist, Bannon opposed the2017 Shayrat missile strike, but lost the internal debate on the matter to Kushner.[393] He also expressed skepticism about the 2020assassination of Qasem Soleimani, questioning whether it was "necessary to kill this guy and to kill him now and to exacerbate the military issues", and warned that an escalation with Iran could undermine Trump's support with "working-class, middle-class people, particularly people whose sons and daughters actually fight in these wars".[394]
He has referred to himself as a "proudChristian Zionist" in reference to his support ofIsrael.[395][396] Bannon reportedly spoke often with Trump donorSheldon Adelson, and was alarmed at a push for a renewed Middle East peace process.[397] He has described Palestinian presidentMahmoud Abbas as a "terrorist".[398] He has advocated giving the land in theWest Bank to Jordan and inGaza to Egypt.[399]
China
Bannon believes the U.S. is not merely in aCold War but already in a "hot war" withChina, especially in the domains ofinformation andeconomics. Bannon expressed concerns about China's growing influence in Asia, viewing the nation as expansionist and anticipating a global culture clash.[400] He holds the view that theChinese Communist Party (CCP) must be confronted and suggests that the ongoing informational and economic confrontations will escalate into a "kinetic war". Bannon believes a military confrontation between the US and China in the South China Sea will occur within the next decade. He highlighted China's construction ofartificial islands, equating them to stationary aircraft carriers with missiles, as a primary concern.[401][402]
Bannon urgedBoris Johnson, who Bannon said in July 2018 that he had known "over the last year" and was "very impressed" with, to challenge Prime MinisterTheresa May.[404][405] According to aBuzzFeed News report, Bannon was in private contact with Johnson during his visit to Britain that month, and the two men were previously in text communication during their respective tenures as White House chief strategist and British foreign secretary.[406]
Europe
Bannon speaking on the future of Europe inBudapest in May 2018
Bannon has defended Trump's ties to and praise for Russian presidentVladimir Putin.[390][407] He expressed a belief that traditionalists see Russia as an ally. Bannon said they "believe that at least Putin is standing up for traditional institutions, and he's trying to do it in a form of nationalism—and I think that people, particularly in certain countries, want to see the sovereignty for their country. They want to see nationalism for their country" rather than a "pan-European Union".[407] According to the bookWar for Eternity, Bannon met notorious Russian ideologueAleksandr Dugin inRome in 2018 to advocate closer relations between the United States and Russia, as well asTraditionalist philosophy.[408][409]
In 2018, Bannon announced plans to launch a new political operation beginning with an attempt to unite populist parties across Europe before the2019 European Parliament election. With the project to be based inBrussels, he indicated he would spend 50 percent of his time in Europe from the following November working at locations throughout the continent.[106] Later that year, Bannon formed a foundation calledThe Movement to connect far-right groups throughout Europe.[410]
In 2007, Bannon proposed and developed a script for a documentary titledDestroying the Great Satan: The Rise of Islamic Fascism in America. The film's plot was that there was an effort by Muslims to take over America.[414][415]
In 2010, Bannon said "Islam is not a religion of peace. Islam is a religion of submission". He also criticizedGeorge W. Bush for calling Islam a religion of peace.[416] Bannon has said that Islam today is "something much darker" thanAdolf Hitler and the Nazis.[417] He has also stated, "If you're Sharia-compliant ... we don't want you here," and has accused U.S. newspapers of being "Sharia-compliant".[417] He has also stated, "The elites in Europe ... are allowing an Islamic invasion to take place."[417] and that the war withIslamic fascism is "metastasizing far quicker than governments can handle it."[418]
In his talk delivered to a small conference in the Vatican during 2014, Bannon said: "If you look back at the long history of the Judeo-Christian West struggle against Islam, I believe that our forefathers kept their stance, and I think they did the right thing. I think they kept it out of the world, whether it was atVienna, orTours, or other places...it bequeathed to us the great institution that is the church of the West".[419] He is reputed to believe Putin's Russia and Trump's America are Christian allies against theIslamic State and "radical Islamic terrorism".[420][421][422] During Bannon's time in the Trump administration Bannon andStephen Miller helped orchestrateExecutive Order 13769 which banned entrance into United States from seven majority Muslim countries.[423][424][425] Bannon has been linked to thecounter-jihad movement.[426][427][428]
Transhumanism and new technologies
Bannon seestranshumanism as a dangerous and radical religion of "the technocratic elite". He accusestech entrepreneurs of using "transhumanistic science" to control humanity and eradicate religion through advanced gene editing, robotics, and forced microscopic implants. He has accused transhumanists of wantingeternal life at the expense of disregarding people's religious beliefs. Bannon's recent preoccupation with transhumanism aligns with hisanti-vaccine rhetoric, and he has adopted similar positions asAlex Jones on this topic.[429][430] In discussions with his frequent podcast contributor Joe Allen, he also promotes viewpoints againstAI and other new technologies inspired by "The Unabomber"Ted Kaczynski.[431] On his podcast, Bannon said he was proud to be aLuddite and expressed concern that Homo sapiens could be replaced in the near future.[432]
At a party congress in March 2018, Bannon gave members of the Frenchright-wing populistNational Front (NF) what has been described as a "populist pep talk".[229] He advised party members to "Let them call you racist, let them call you xenophobes, let them call younativists. Wear it like a badge of honor. Because every day, we get stronger and they get weaker...History is on our side and will bring us victory." Bannon's remarks brought the members to their feet.[438][439][440][441] Critics expressed concern that Bannon was "normalizing racism".[442]
Bannon was influenced byFourth Turning theory, outlined inNeil Howe's andWilliam Strauss'sThe Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy,[443] one of Bannon's favorite books.[359] The theory proposes, "populism, nationalism and state-run authoritarianism would soon be on the rise, not just in America but around the world. [...Once one strips] away the extraneous accidents and technology, you are left with only a limited number of social moods, which tend to recur in a fixed order" and cyclically. The book was major influence on Bannon's filmGeneration Zero.[443][359][444][445]
Bannon is an admirer of paleoconservative commentatorPat Buchanan.[451] Bannon's favorite columnist is academicWalter Russell Mead.[452] In a 2014 speech to a Vatican conference, Bannon made a passing reference toJulius Evola, a twentieth-century,Nazi-linked Italian writer who influencedBenito Mussolini'sItalian Fascism and promoted the Traditionalist School, described by aNew York Times writer as "a worldview popular in far-right and alternative religious circles that believes progress and equality are poisonous illusions." Bannon's interest in the ideas of the Traditionalist School was driven by Evola's bookRevolt Against the Modern World, and Guénon's booksMan and His Becoming According to the Vedanta andThe Crisis of the Modern World.[453] In March 2016, Bannon stated he appreciates "any piece that mentions Evola".[454] In referring to the associated views ofVladimir Putin, who is influenced by Evola follower Dugin, Bannon stated "We, the Judeo-Christian West, really have to look at what he's talking about as far as Traditionalism goes — particularly the sense of where it supports the underpinnings of nationalism."[455] He has likewise quoted Frenchanti-Enlightenment writerCharles Maurras approvingly to a French diplomat.[456][457] Bannon has also repeatedly referenced the controversial French novelThe Camp of the Saints (1973) byJean Raspail, which depictsThird World immigration destroying Western civilization.[458] He has embraced whatBBC News describes asSavitri Devi's "account of history as a cyclical battle between good and evil".[459] Bannon told an interviewer in 2018 that he is "fascinated by Mussolini", noting: "He was clearly loved by women. He was a guy's guy. He has all that virility. He also had amazing fashion sense, right, that whole thing with the uniforms."[460] A formerBreitbart writer wrote that Bannon said in 2015 that alt-right publicationAmerican Renaissance was "fighting the same fight" as him.[461] Bannon has expressed admiration for GermanConservative Revolutionary philosopherMartin Heidegger, praising his "ideas on the subject of being".[462]
German film directorLeni Riefenstahl, who produced propaganda films for the regime inNazi Germany, is said to have influenced Bannon's film-making techniques, with Bannon once describing himself to writing colleague Julia Jones as the "Riefenstahl ofGeorge Bush", modifying the ending as "the GOP" when Jones was horrified.[463] The opening of Bannon's documentary filmThe Hope & The Change (2012)[464] consciously imitated Riefenstahl's filmThe Triumph of the Will (1935), which depicted theNuremberg Rally held in 1934.[465]
Bannon has been married and divorced three times. He has three adult daughters. His first marriage was to Cathleen Suzanne Houff. Bannon and Houff had a daughter, Maureen, in 1988 and subsequently divorced.[471][42][472]
Bannon's second marriage was to Mary Louise Piccard, a former investment banker, in April 1995. Their twin daughters were born three days after the wedding. Piccard filed for dissolution of their marriage in 1997.[473][474]
During their divorce proceedings, Piccard alleged that Bannon had madeantisemitic remarks about her choice of schools, saying he did not want to send his children tothe Archer School for Girls because there were too many Jews at the school, and Jews raise their children to be "whiny brats". Bannon's spokesperson denied the accusation, noting that he had chosen to send both his children to the Archer School.[277][276][475][476]
Bannon's third marriage was to model Diane Clohesy; they married in 2006 and divorced in 2009.[477][478]
His brother, Chris Bannon, is a TV producer.[479][480]
Filmography
Bannon has been a producer, writer, director or actor on the following films and documentaries:
^abcKranish, Michael; Whitlock, Craig (February 10, 2017)."How Bannon's Navy service during the Iran hostage crisis shaped his views".The Washington Post. Archived fromthe original on February 10, 2017. RetrievedDecember 6, 2017.He was an ensign and then a lieutenant junior grade, assigned to a windowless, two-bed stateroom with desks and a wardrobe area, a comfortable accommodation compared with the warren of bunks where most sailors slept.
Stokols, Eli (October 13, 2016)."Trump fires up the alt-right".Politico. Arlington, VA. Archived fromthe original on October 13, 2016. RetrievedJune 14, 2022.... the unmistakable imprint ofBreitbart News, the 'alt-right' website...
"The rise of the alt-right".The Week. October 1, 2016.Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 20, 2020.Another major alt-right platform is Breitbart.com, a right-wing news site...
Rahn, Will (2016)."Steve Bannon and the alt-right: a primer".CBS News.Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. RetrievedApril 16, 2020.Bannon'sBreitbart distinguished itself from the rest of the conservative media in two significant ways this cycle... The second was through their embrace of the alt-right...
^Corn, David; Vicens, AJ (November 18, 2016)."Here's Evidence Steve Bannon Joined a Facebook Group That Posts Racist Rants and Obama Death Threats".Mother Jones.Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. RetrievedJuly 9, 2018.This Facebook group is for an outfit called Vigilant Patriots, which claims its goals are defending and upholding the Constitution and preserving "our history and culture". As of Friday morning, it listed nearly 3,600 members, including Stephen Bannon, who apparently joined the group seven years ago.
^Per aHarvard Crimson article,[50] but note that some places mistakenly say Bannon graduated in 1983, which was his *first* year at Harvard[48] according to theBoston Globe.
^Senior, Jennifer (June 6, 2022)."Steve Bannon Is a Lit Bomb in the Mouth of Democracy".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. RetrievedJune 6, 2022.Please,' saysJohn Podhoretz, the old-school conservative editor of Commentary. 'He was a third-rate banker who got a tiny slice of an enormous pie.' He's referring to the piece of Seinfeld profits that Bannon got when he helped orchestrate a deal between Ted Turner and Castle Rock Entertainment.
^Strassel, Kimberly A. (November 18, 2016)."Steve Bannon on Politics as War".The Wall Street Journal.Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2018.But he saysBreitbart is also a platform for 'libertarians,' Zionists, 'the conservative gay community,' ...
^abcdeHines, Nico (July 20, 2018)."Inside Bannon's Plan to Hijack Europe for the Far-Right".The Daily Beast. IAC/InterActiveCorp. Archived fromthe original on July 21, 2018. RetrievedJune 21, 2022.Bannon plans to spend 50 percent of his time in Europe—mostly in the field rather than the Brussels office—once the midterm elections in the U.S. are over in November.
^abUlmer, James (June 26, 2005)."On the Right Side of the Theater Aisle".The New York Times. p. AR1(L).eISSN1553-8095.ISSN0362-4331.OCLC1645522.GaleA133553861. Archived fromthe original on August 27, 2016. RetrievedJune 16, 2022.If established Hollywood conservatives welcome the energy of this new group, some nonetheless fear that it is heading down the wrong path ... Even the outspoken Mr. Bannon thinks that little will be gained if conservative ideology moves too far in front of conservative art. 'We have the money, we have the ideas,' he said. 'What we don't have – and what the left has in spades – are great filmmakers.'
^ab"Thompson & Cheney Statement on Bannon Conviction" (Press release). Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. July 22, 2022. Archived fromthe original on July 22, 2022. RetrievedJuly 23, 2022.The conviction of Steve Bannon is a victory for the rule of law and an important affirmation of the Select Committee's work.
^Nelson, Tracy (October 3, 2009)."Set Up For Success".Army West Point Athletics. Archived fromthe original on February 2, 2017. RetrievedNovember 15, 2016.
^McEvers, Kelly (October 19, 2017)."Trump stories: Bannon".NPR.NPR. Archived fromthe original on May 11, 2022. RetrievedJune 16, 2022.maybe he doesn't really agree with those white supremacists who helped with the rise of people like Milo Yiannopoulos, the rise ofBreitbart News and the rise of Donald Trump. Maybe those people are just numbers to him. I mean, I guess if you're down with white supremacists, you're down with white supremacists and no one should care why you're down with them. But if you are tactical, that means you can change.