Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon is a former White House Chief Strategist who served under Donald Trump from January 2017 to August 2017. He is also a filmmaker and former executive chairman of Breitbart News, a conservative news and opinion website founded by Andrew Breitbart. Bannon's career has been marked by his involvement in Republican Party politics and his association with Tea Party movement figures such as Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. He has also been linked to National Front leader Marine Le Pen and other European nationalist movements, including the UK Independence Party led by Nigel Farage.

● Early Life and Education

Bannon was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in a Catholic family in Richmond, Virginia. He attended Benedictine College Preparatory and later graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Urban Planning and Architecture. Bannon then earned a master's degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. During his time at Harvard Business School, he was influenced by the ideas of Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand, which would later shape his conservative views. Bannon's early life and education were also influenced by his family's Irish Catholic heritage and his father's work as a telephone lineman for AT&T.

● Career

Bannon's career began in the United States Navy, where he served as a lieutenant on the USS Paul F. Foster and later as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. After leaving the Navy, he worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker and later founded his own financial services firm, Bannon & Co.. In the 1990s, Bannon became involved in the film industry, producing films such as Titus and The Indian Runner, which starred Sean Penn and Viggo Mortensen. He also worked with Jeff Bridges on the film The Big Lebowski, directed by the Coen brothers. Bannon's experience in the film industry led him to become involved with Breitbart News, where he would eventually become executive chairman and work with writers such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter.

● Political Involvement

Bannon's involvement in politics began in the 1990s, when he worked as a policy advisor to Republican Party candidate Pat Buchanan. He later became involved with the Tea Party movement and worked with figures such as Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. In 2016, Bannon became the chief executive of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, where he played a key role in shaping the campaign's conservative and nationalist message. After Donald Trump's election, Bannon was appointed as White House Chief Strategist, where he worked alongside other senior advisors such as Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. During his time in the White House, Bannon was a key proponent of Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border and worked with Congress to pass the Travel ban.

● Controversies and Criticisms

Bannon's career has been marked by controversy, including his involvement with Breitbart News, which has been accused of promoting white nationalism and anti-Semitism. He has also been criticized for his association with figures such as Richard Spencer and David Duke, who have been linked to white supremacist movements. In 2018, Bannon was criticized for his comments on Islam and Muslim immigration, which were seen as Islamophobic by many. He has also been involved in a number of high-profile feuds with other politicians and media figures, including Megyn Kelly and Glenn Beck. Bannon's critics have also accused him of promoting a populist and nationalist agenda that is divisive and xenophobic, and have linked him to European nationalist movements such as the Alternative for Germany party and the Freedom Party of Austria.

● Personal Life

Bannon is a Catholic and has been married three times, including to Mary Piccard and Diane Clohesy. He has three daughters and is known for his conservative views on family values and social issues. Bannon is also a fan of heavy metal music and has been known to quote William Shakespeare and Sun Tzu in his speeches and interviews. Despite his high-profile career, Bannon is known for being reclusive and private, and has been the subject of numerous media profiles and documentaries, including the Frontline documentary Bannon's War. Bannon's personal life has also been influenced by his experiences as a single father and his relationships with other conservative figures, including Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich.