# Steve Bannon's lapel pin? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480 "2017-03-05T16:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/1 "2017-03-05T16:00:09Z")
I found [this photo of four fuckwits](http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170130155340-trump-bannon-priebus-pence-overlay-tease.jpg) trying to look diligent, professional and business-like to be rather amusing. I also noticed that Steve Bannon has a distinctive white hexagonal lapel pin. He has worn it on other occasions and I am [not the only one curious about it](https://twitter.com/guan/status/828736023135940608?lang=en). [Here is a slightly better view](http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2958581.1485671831!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/usa-trump.jpg) (of the lapel pin, not Bannon, obviously). Any ideas on what it might be/represent? While I view Bannon as a deeply nefarious and malevolent individual, the lapel pin probably has some mundane significance, or perhaps even a reputable one, and I’ve only posted this in the Pit rather than General Questions so I could use the word “fuckwit” in the O.P. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/2 "2017-03-05T16:11:36Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I…O.P. Google suggests it’s an identifier for the Secret Service. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/3 "2017-03-05T17:09:59Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > Google suggests it’s an identifier for the Secret Service. That could be it. [Here’s an article](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4095014/Members-Trump-s-inner-circle-wearing-triangle-pin-identify-Secret-Service.html) discussing triangular badges that Trump’s inner circle were wearing on the campaign trail, to identify those who were allowed to pass through security to the president-elect. Also, [here’s a thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/5qfk26/steve_bannons_lapel_pin_what_is_this_symbol/) discussing a different lapel pin that Bannon was wearing: > [@](#): > > Apparently the Secret Service issue them as a “pass of the day” type thing. There are various abstract shapes and colours. I guess they’re harder to forge on short notice than a printed pass and more discreet. So it does appear that Bannon’s lapel pin could be Secret Service-related, and the bigger hexagonal design could perhaps be for more exclusive Oval Office security clearance. It certainly makes Bannon look a bit more sinister, though, especially with his all-black smart casual lounge suit and shirt. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/4 "2017-03-05T18:56:13Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > It certainly makes Bannon look a bit more sinister, though, especially with his all-black smart casual lounge suit and shirt. Bannon is about as sinister as CHAOS from Get Smart. While Trump receives plenty of well deserved ridicule for being the incompetent buffoon that he is, I think we could do with much more pointing and laughter at Bannon’s expense. Let’s start with the guy’s childishly apocalyptic world view. He’s a fucking loon, not some sinister Rasputin; far more of a Nostradumbass than Nostradamus. Then move to his attire. His washed out black shirts and booze stained jackets are nearly as slovenly as his ill fitting Old Navy khakis. You simply cannot be a super-villain wearing beige khakis with an elastic waistband. Wait, are those penny loafers on his feet? Finally, that permanent hung over and under showered look. It’s clear the guy crawls out of an empty bottle every morning. The same one that he emptied the night before. Can we just call him out for the belligerent alcoholic he really is? I’m sure the Betty Ford center would welcome him with open doors and a long hot shower. Bannon: about as sinister as a drunk raving from a park bench. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/5 "2017-03-05T19:30:05Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Bannon: about as sinister as a drunk raving from a park bench. The raving drunk on the park bench doesn’t have the confidence of the president. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/6 "2017-03-05T19:44:53Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > The raving drunk on the park bench doesn’t have the confidence of the president. Sure, but only an idiot will make the drunk his senior adviser. And let’s not forget how much evidence there is of the poor judgement repeatedly displayed by this president. IOW: evidence suggests the president is a fool, not that Bannon is particularly clever. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/7 "2017-03-05T21:14:27Z")
I’d agree that, taken individually, Bannon comes across as an [inconsequential bum](http://rackjite.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/818kkkl-1.jpg) with a heavy liquor problem and fringe theory mindset, and would say that his sinisterness derives from the fact that anybody actually listens to what he has to say, let alone the most important man in the world. He certainly appears to be making himself heard in the Oval Office, judging from from [this video footage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQLRblJw9c8&feature=youtu.be&t=15). I think that in his all-black finery, Bannon appears to be going for a bit of a Sith Lord look, the like of which Dick Cheney could only dream about. He just needs to make sure he gets [the right design for his lapel pin badge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_Empire_(Star_Wars)). ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/8 "2017-03-05T21:27:02Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Sure, but only an idiot will make the drunk his senior adviser. > > And let’s not forget how much evidence there is of the poor judgement repeatedly displayed by this president. > > IOW: evidence suggests the president is a fool, not that Bannon is particularly clever. Bannon is having his way with trump and the country right now, clever or not. He’s a fascist. There isn’t an IQ test for that. You sound like a conservative trying to save a little bit of face. Forget it. It’s over now, for generations at least. You will never see the end of Bannon’s influence on your world. He didn’t have to be smart to do it either. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/9 "2017-03-05T21:44:56Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I’d agree that, taken individually, Bannon comes across as an [inconsequential bum](http://rackjite.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/818kkkl-1.jpg) with a heavy liquor problem and fringe theory mindset, and would say that his sinisterness derives from the fact that anybody actually listens to what he has to say, let alone the most important man in the world. He certainly appears to be making himself heard in the Oval Office, judging from from [this video footage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQLRblJw9c8&feature=youtu.be&t=15). That drunken asshole is sadly mistaken if he thinks he can get away with berating Trump’s kin with impunity. He may get a way with it a time or three, but I doubt very much Trump will tolerate it for very long once Ivanka begins to pout to daddy about the horrible horrible drunk that smells like sweat and yells at her and her super-smart husband. Trump’s trust circle isn’t a meritocracy, it’s a family business. And Bannon better not forget it. > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I think that in his all-black finery, Bannon appears to be going for a bit of a Sith Lord look, the like of which Dick Cheney could only dream about. He just needs to make sure he gets [the right design for his lapel pin badge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_Empire_(Star_Wars)). I think [any one of these](https://www.google.com/search?q=swastika+pin+image&espv=2&biw=2048&bih=980&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX6ufWqsDSAhWK4iYKHfLLCbMQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.94) would be more fitting. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/10 "2017-03-05T21:50:46Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Bannon is having his way with trump and the country right now, clever or not. He’s a fascist. There isn’t an IQ test for that. > > You sound like a conservative trying to save a little bit of face. Forget it. It’s over now, for generations at least. You will never see the end of Bannon’s influence on your world. He didn’t have to be smart to do it either. You are mistaken. I’m very much a liberal. I do agree that Bannon will leave an indelible mark on the republican party if he’s permitted to continue to operate with such disregard for American democratic principals. My opinion about that is: fuck 'em! They’ve got it coming to the extent that they’ve been complicit in all this Trumpery & fuckery. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/11 "2017-03-05T23:19:09Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > You are mistaken. I’m very much a liberal. > > I do agree that Bannon will leave an indelible mark on the republican party if he’s permitted to continue to operate with such disregard for American democratic principals. My opinion about that is: fuck 'em! They’ve got it coming to the extent that they’ve been complicit in all this Trumpery & fuckery. Sorry. Got you mixed up with Quartz. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/12 "2017-03-06T13:17:57Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Sorry. Got you mixed up with Quartz. Pistols at dawn, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/13 "2017-03-06T13:32:57Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Pistols at dawn, sir. As a liberal, do you allow yourself to be in the same room as a pistol? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/14 "2017-03-06T13:53:43Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > As a liberal, do you allow yourself to be in the same room as a pistol? 😃 I can reliably find one in a conservative’s cold dead hand. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/15 "2017-03-06T15:23:59Z")
Looks like his Starfleet Communo-Crystals. (Yes, I know I’m mixing my franchises) ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/16 "2017-03-06T22:01:41Z")
I wonder if it’s a tiny sundial, there appears to be a gnomon in the center of the pin. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/17 "2017-03-06T22:17:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Looks like his Starfleet Communo-Crystals. More like a Heart-Plug\* from ‘Dune’. Assumes whatever species he is actually has a heart. Still, the visual of Trump floating around The Oval Office in a suspensor suit ranting and raving seems oddly in character. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/18 "2017-03-06T22:32:52Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > More like a Heart-Plug\* from ‘Dune’. > > Assumes whatever species he is actually has a heart. Still, the visual of Trump floating around The Oval Office in a suspensor suit ranting and raving seems oddly in character. [Neil Diamond] Pull out your Heart Plug Let it shine wherever you go Let it leave a happy glow For all the world to see… [/Neil Diamond] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/19 "2017-03-07T02:56:11Z")
Donald Trump as the Baron Harkonnen, Steve Bannon as his right-hand mentat Tumuch Uisce, and Reince Priebus as the rival mentat in the Baron’s court Vinegar Badger. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480/20 "2017-03-07T03:19:02Z")
The lapel pin looks a bit like a [spinning dice](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4a/71/66/4a7166b77e33116acbc80e92e1c678c8.jpg). Maybe Bannon is the human dice in this real life/live action version of [_Trump: The Game_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump:_The_Game). Donald: “Hey Steve, come over here. It’s time to make our next move.” \*[spins his lapel pin] \* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannons-lapel-pin/781480.md?page=2)