Steve Bannon: Donald Trump's chief strategist has a grand vision for remaking America - 2017-02-03

Steve Bannon: Donald Trump's chief strategist has a grand vision for remaking America February 3, 2017, Gwynn Guilford, Quartz

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If there is a political vision underlying Trumpism, however, the person to ask is not Trump. It's his éminence grise, Stephen K. Bannon, the chief strategist of the Trump administration.

Bannon transcended his working-class Virginia roots with a stint in the Navy and a degree from Harvard Business School, followed by a career as a Goldman Sachs financier. He moved to Los Angeles to invest in media and entertainment for Goldman, before starting his own investment bank specializing in media. Through a combination of luck (a fallen-through deal left him with a stake in a hit show called Seinfeld) and a knack for voicing outrage, Bannon remade himself as a minor luminary within the far edge of right-wing politics, writing and directing a slew of increasingly conservative documentaries.

Bannon's influence reached a new high in 2012 when he took over Breitbart News, an online news site, following the death of creator Andrew Breitbart. While at Breitbart, Bannon ran a popular talk radio call-in show and launched a flame-throwing assault on mainstream Republicans, embracing instead a fringe cast of ultra-conservative figures. Among them was Trump, a frequent guest of the show. They established a relationship that eventually led Bannon to mastermind Trump's populist romp to the White House, culminating in his taking the administration's most senior position (alongside the chief of staff, Reince Priebus).

Wikipedia cite:

{{cite news | first = Gwynn | last = Guilford | author2 = Nikhil Sonnad | title = Steve Bannon: Donald Trump's chief strategist has a grand vision for remaking America | url = https://qz.com/898134/what-steve-bannon-really-wants/ | work = Quartz | date = February 3, 2017 | accessdate = March 26, 2020 }}