Steve Bannon (full name Stephen Kevin Bannon) is a political advisor, media consultant and former investment banker. From 2016-2018 Bannon was a senior advisor to Donald Trump and a key player in Trump’s inner circle. When Trump won the Oval Office, Bannon was appointed Senior Councilor to the President. Bannon was let go by Trump and left the White House in January 2018.
Bannon considers himself personally as a conservative but is also seen as a leader in the far right camp. He was the co-founder of Breitbart News, a controversial conservative news outlet known for its polarizing articles. Bannon has also been grouped at times with the Tea Party.
Before he was in the right, a formative Steve Bannon leaned towards the left. In fact, him and his family were Democrats. “I wasn’t political until I got into the service and saw how badly Jimmy Carter f—ed things up. I became a huge Reagan admirer.” (1)
Bannon’s outspoken political commentary has made him a lightning rod for criticism from the left and even some Republicans. For example, when Steve Bannon was appointed as the senior counselor to President-elect Trump, the decision was met with derision from high profile groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. These groups and others claimed that Bannon was anti-Semitic because of statements printed in Breitbart News during Bannon’s work there. (2)
On claims made that Bannon is a white nationalist, he has denied the accusation and instead turned the phrase around, professing to be an “economic nationalist” and an “America first” true believer, no matter the color of the individual’s skin. “The black working and middle class and the Hispanic working and middle class, just like whites, have been severely hurt by the policies of globalism,” Bannon once told the press. (3)
He is for reducing immigration to America and against military intervention in other parts of the globe. Bannon would also like to see more restrictions to free trade with China and Mexico.
Steve Bannon is a devout Catholic. However, he doesn’t have any hesitation to express his disagreement with Church leaders over concerns unrelated to religious doctrine. (4)
On the topic of Islam, Bannon has long voiced his concern over radical Islamic ideology but has also adjusted his viewpoint on its moderate aspect.
Here’s an example: in a 2010 interview Steve Bannon once said of Islam, “Islam is not a religion of peace. Islam is a religion of submission.” That comment set off a firestorm of controversy following Bannon’s new role in the White House. (5)
But in the 2017 book Bannon: Always the Rebel, his rhetoric was toned down. “It’s a path to enlightenment or a path to God…just like Judaism’s got its path, just like Christianity’s got its path,” Bannon said of Islam. “It’s not for anybody to determine what path an individual takes.” (6)
Bannon has been married three times in his life:
To Cathleen Suzanne Houff in the 1980s. A daughter named Maureen was born in 1988.
By 1995 Bannon was divorced and marrying Mary Louise Piccard, an investment banker. Twin daughters were born to Bannon and Piccard three days after they exchanged vows. The couple divorced in 1997.
In 2006 he married Diane Clohesy, an Irish model. Divorce followed in 2009.
For seven years from the late 1970s to early 1980s, Steve Bannon was enlisted in the United States Navy.
One of his interests is history, and he reads many books about the subject.
When Bannon worked as an investment banker, one of the entertainment projects he developed turned into a very lucrative investment. The show was the TV show Seinfeld, and it’s huge success made Bannon wealthy.
The success of Seinfeld allowed Bannon to move into a role as a producer. Before co-founding Breitbart News, Bannon had his name on a dozen movies like The Indian Runner starring Sean Penn. (7)
Sources
2: CBS News
5: CNN
6: Newsweek