We need to talk about Steve Bannon
In any political movement you have pillars of function. The intellectuals that create the message, journalists that spread the message, bankers that coral the funders and finance the message and in extreme cases, proporters of violence that take that message out on to the street. Steve Bannon is all of these. If any single person can be described as the father of the globalised resurgence of the far-right it is this man. He has spent years leveraging media, money, and political manipulation to advance a nationalist, anti-immigrant agenda. He is an ardent fan of Orban, Le Pen and Putin. He has developed deep ties to white nationalist movements and has immersed himself in financial scandals, and controversial political campaigns.
Bannon is dangerous. He is intelligent and has a plan. and is definitely not your average right wing meathead. To put it into a 1933 analergy, In the global populist movement his is Ernst Rohm to Trumps, Hitler, Musk’s Goring and Farage's Hess. Bannon is highly educated and understands how to manipulate the media. He was a of graduate of Virginia Tech and Harvard Business School and apprenticed in investment banking and publishing in Hollywood. He became a central figure in the re-emergence of the far-right in the US when he tookover and changed the direction of Breitbart News. At Breitbart, Bannon openly embraced the alt-right, a loose and increasingly radical network of white nationalist, anti-immigrant, and anti-globalist groups. His time at Breitbart saw the mainstreaming of extremist rhetoric, with Bannon framing the publication as a platform for the alt-right and providing a stage for figures like Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer. Under his leadership, Breitbart became a key player in spreading hate-filled, xenophobic rhetoric that resonated with the far-right’s growing base in the U.S. and beyond. To say Bannnon was ideologically driven doesn’t really do him justice. Bannon’s far-right agenda wasn’t just about the politics, it was also about access to money, and lots of it. He was financially backed by a network of right-wing donors who share his vision of undermining democracy and stoking division. One of his most significant financial connections was with Robert Mercer, a billionaire hedge fund manager who has funded a number of far-right causes and organizations. Through Mercer’s backing, Bannon was able to fund projects that promoted an anti-globalist, anti-immigrant agenda both in the U.S. and in Europe.
Prior to getting into bed with Trump, Bannon’s ties to groups supporting anti-immigrant and nationalist agendas across Europe raised concerns about his growing influence. It is known that Bannon was linked to funding entities that supported far-right movements in Hungary, Poland, Germany and Romania where he pump-primed them and nurtured them into viable political parties. An example of this is his relationship with Hungarian populist leader, Victor Orbán. The both share a deep ideological alignment, rooted in nationalism, anti-immigration rhetoric, and opposition to liberal democracy. Bannon has repeatedly praised Orbán as a model for right-wing populists worldwide, while Orbán has welcomed Bannon’s far-right vision. Their relationship is based on mutual admiration and a shared goal of creating an international far-right movement. Bannon has referred to Viktor Orbán as “Trump before Trump,” a reference to Orbán’s early adoption of nationalist, anti-immigration policies and his opposition to the European Union’s influence over Hungary.
This aligns with Bannon’s own experience at Breitbart News, where he helped shape right-wing narratives in the U.S. Bannon has of course praised Orbán’s media strategy, viewing it as a blueprint for controlling public discourse and silencing opposition. Orbán’s government has systematically dismantled independent media, shut down opposition outlets, and created a vast network of state-controlled media that promotes government propaganda. Bannon, who has long championed the use of media to advance nationalist causes, has pointed to Orbán’s success as proof that controlling the media is key to winning political battles. If you want to look at the direction Trump is taking, thanks to Bannon you should look at Orbán. Bannon’s reach extended across the Atlantic, where he played a significant role in the Brexit campaign. By offering advice to leaders like Nigel Farage and others in the Vote Leave movement, Bannon helped steer the UK’s exit from the European Union by fueling anti-immigrant, nationalist rhetoric that resonated with large swaths of the British electorate. The Brexit campaign, which centered on false promises of regaining sovereignty and reducing immigration, was a key moment in Bannon’s rise as a leader of far-right populism. Once the referendum passed, Bannon’s influence in the UK far-right deepened. He has been an outspoken supporter of Farage’s Brexit Party (now Reform UK), which advocates for extreme nationalist policies and has become a vehicle for anti-EU sentiment. Steve Bannon’s influence on the far-right in the UK has been both subtle and significant.
For Bannon, Orbán represents a successful example of how far-right populists can consolidate power by attacking democratic institutions, vilifying immigrants, and controlling the media. In 2018, Bannon publicly lauded Orbán’s hardline anti-immigration stance, particularly Hungary’s decision to close its borders to refugees during the European migrant crisis. This policy, coupled with Orbán’s broader attacks on the EU, fits Bannon’s narrative of an international populist uprising against globalism and liberal democracy. Bannon has sought to bolster Orbán’s position within European politics. As Orbán moved Hungary closer to authoritarian rule, he increasingly found himself and his party Fidesz isolated within the European People’s Party (EPP), the center-right coalition in the European Parliament. Eventually, Fidesz was forced out of the EPP in 2021 due to its anti-democratic policies. Bannon saw this as an opportunity. He encouraged Orbán to align more closely with other far-right leaders, such as Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini, in order to build an alternative nationalist bloc within the EU. While Orbán has since attempted to create a far-right alliance in Europe, this has yet to materialise. So Both Bannon and Orbán understand the power of media in shaping political narratives. Orbán’s government has taken near-total control of Hungary’s media landscape, ensuring that pro-government messaging dominates the country.
His connections to right-wing politicians, far-right think tanks, and populist movements have helped shape the political landscape in the aftermath of Brexit. While Bannon’s role in Brexit itself was widely discussed, his ongoing involvement with the UK’s far-right political scene deserves further scrutiny. His ties to Reform UK, conservative think tanks, and far-right ideologues have reinforced his agenda of nationalism, anti-immigration rhetoric, and authoritarianism: ideas that have gained ground within British politics. Bannon’s involvement with Reform UK, the political party that emerged from the Brexit Party, highlights his ongoing efforts to steer British politics further to the right. Formed in 2020 by former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, Reform UK has become a platform for far-right and hard-right populist ideas. With its staunch anti-EU stance and focus on Brexit, Reform UK has attracted individuals and voters who share Bannon’s vision of nationalism, isolationism, and economic protectionism. Bannon’s admiration for Farage is well-documented, and he has frequently voiced support for the Brexit Party’s transition into Reform UK. He sees Farage as a critical ally in advancing a populist agenda that questions the value of international cooperation and promotes an inward-looking, nativist UK. Farage’s political rise, which Bannon helped propel during the Brexit referendum, dovetails neatly with Bannon’s desire to foster anti-establishment movements across Europe. For Bannon, Reform UK represents a new front in the war against what he perceives as the "globalist elite." Ironically an elite that Bannon is clearly part of. Bannon’s role behind the scenes cannot be understated: He has been a significant influence on the party’s strategic direction and has helped it refine its messaging. Reform UK has mirrored Bannon’s rhetoric of nationalism, anti-immigration policies, and a rejection of the European Union—all central tenets of his broader populist agenda. His advice and ideological alignment with Farage and Reform UK suggest that Bannon sees the party as a useful vehicle for pushing his agenda within the UK’s political sphere. On some ways Reform and Farage’s relationship to Bannon is smoke and mirrors. It distracts from what he is really up to in the UK. In addition to his ties to Reform UK, Bannon has fostered relationships with a number of conservative and right-wing think tanks in the UK. These organizations, often funded by wealthy donors with interests in privatisation, deregulation, and eradicating the welfare state and NHS are pivotal in far right ideology.
Then there’s his fingers in the dark money and malevolence of Tufton Street. Bannon’s association with groups like the Legatum Institute, a right-wing think tank that promotes free-market capitalism, nationalism, and a reduction in state welfare illustrates his broader influence on economic and social policies in the UK. The Legatum Institute, which has connections to wealthy right-wing donors, advocates for policies that undermine progressive social programs while promoting immigration restrictions and a more insular form of British identity. This aligns closely with Bannon’s own views, especially his call for a populist revolt against the “globalist” economic order. In particular, Bannon has expressed admiration for Legatum’s ability to push right-wing policies, framing them as ‘free-market principles’ and ‘national sovereignty’. His ideological alignment with these think tanks allows him to influence policy discourse in the UK while maintaining a veneer of respectability, even as his far-right views gain traction. Another think tank that Bannon has been linked to is The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which advocates for minimal government interference in the market and has supported Brexit as a means to remove the UK from EU regulations. The IEA’s influence on Conservative policy, particularly during the Brexit referendum, allowed Bannon’s ideas to gain even more ground in mainstream UK politics. While the IEA itself is more economically focused, its alignment with Bannon’s anti-regulatory, anti-immigration, and nationalist policies has given the far-right a powerful intellectual backing in the UK. Bannon’s broader connections to the UK’s far-right go well beyond Reform UK and think tanks. His support for figures like Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the far-right English Defence League (EDL), and his links to organizations such as the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Patriotic Action (PA) underscore his willingness to align with the most extreme elements of the political spectrum. Bannon’s links to these groups have also led to his association with prominent figures on the UK’s far-right fringes. For example, his connections to people like Anne Marie Waters (leader of the far-right party For Britain), who has been criticized for her xenophobic and anti-Islamic views, highlight the extent to which Bannon has helped foster and normalize extremist rhetoric within UK politics. Though Bannon has consistently denied any association with neo-Nazi groups, his rhetoric and actions speak otherwise. His embrace of nationalism and anti-immigrant views has aligned him with far-right and even white nationalist groups that openly espouse racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. Of course he publicly distances himself from some of these groups – like Mandy Rice-Davis once said in the Profumo court case , “Well he would, wouldn’t he?"
Bannon has worked tirelessly to unite European far-right factions, from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to France’s Marine Le Pen. His ultimate goal seems to be the creation of a pan-European, anti-democratic movement that would challenge the European Union and promote authoritarian, nationalist policies. Bannon's activities are seen as a direct threat to liberal democracies, as he pushes for policies that undermine pluralism, human rights, and international cooperation. His alliances with far-right billionaires, extremist groups, and authoritarian leaders have enabled him to spread a divisive, hate-driven agenda around the world.
Bannon is as dangerous as he is odious. To many people, their first introduction to him was at the CPAC conference where he performed a Nazi salute whilse shoulting “Fight! Fight! Fight!”. This man shouldn’t be anywhere near British politics and yet has has oozed into the mainstream. As well has his known links to Farage he has advised Boris Johnson, prasied Rees-Mogg, Braverman and Patel. He shared straties with Dominic Cummngs through the ‘Take back control’ campaign and he has his fingerprints on many of the reactionary policies of the Conservative Party, and some which Starmer’s Labour Party have picked up and run with. His grubby paws are all over British politics.
Steve Bannon embodies the troubling rise of far-right populism, leveraging nationalist rhetoric, anti-immigrant sentiment, and conspiracy theories to undermine democratic institutions and promote a divisive agenda. As a key architect of Trump's strategy and a vocal supporter of Brexit, Bannon has consistently aligned himself with extremist movements across the globe, seeking to dismantle progressive values and empower authoritarian leaders. His connections to white nationalist groups and his role in fostering an atmosphere of intolerance and fear highlight a dangerous trend that threatens to erode civil rights and democratic norms in both the U.S. and the UK. The far right is only as strong as it's strongest driver, without direction it is a house of cards. Bannon, by a country mile is the pathfinder pushing this rancid ideology. If anyone needs to be stopped it is this man.
