# Trump + Bannon: Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 11, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572 "2017-02-11T19:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [February 11, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/1 "2017-02-11T19:36:46Z")
Why of all the people in the world? How did they hook up? Obviously it’s a trigger to lots and lots of people. Is it a troll? On liberals, Jews, minorities? I find it strange that we have to guess at this and everyone seems to be entitled to their own reason, sometimes skirting every tenet of common sense in order to make this “normal”. So what’s happening here? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/2 "2017-02-11T19:50:31Z")
Bannon is willing to kiss Trump’s ass to a ridiculous degree that more mainstream dudes couldn’t stomach. Trump fucking loves that. I mean, probably Trump can see it’s obvious insincere asskissing, but that makes it all the sweeter. Also, Bannon has no independent power base of his own. His only source of legitimate power is through Trump, which makes him utterly Trump’s creature. And Trump fucking loves that. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/3 "2017-02-11T19:55:13Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Why of all the people in the world? How did they hook up? Obviously it’s a trigger to lots and lots of people. Is it a troll? On liberals, Jews, minorities? > > I find it strange that we have to guess at this and everyone seems to be entitled to their own reason, sometimes skirting every tenet of common sense in order to make this “normal”. So what’s happening here? Conspiracy theories. Trump loves going into conspiracy theory sites. He appeared a few years ago in the youtube channel of some guy who believes that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged by the government. Not even kidding. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/4 "2017-02-11T19:58:20Z")
Trump is both mentally lazy and bigoted, so Bannon’s conspiracy theories appeal to him. Trump also discovered early on in the campaign that by injecting traces of Bannon’s ideology into his rhetoric, he could latch onto a core of nationalist supporters. (Remember, in his first campaign appearance Trump actually had to pay actors to attend.) Those nationalist supporters were just enough for him to eke by a narrow win in the electoral college. Bannon, on the other hand, has latched onto Trump, and probably thinks it’s his ticket to becoming the emperor of a new, racially cleansed America. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/5 "2017-02-11T20:56:25Z")
Bannon has said straight out that he considers Trump to be his instrument: > [@](#): > > Amid an atmosphere of overwhelming chaos, the early days of Trump’s reign have made clear, however, that Islam is Public Enemy No. 1 and serves as the centerpiece of Steve Bannon’s ethno-nationalist agenda. … > Bannon called Trump “a blunt instrument for us” in an interview last summer with Vanity Fair. He added, “I don’t know whether he really gets it or not.” That the former Breitbart executive editor would have an outsized role in a Trump administration should have been evident long ago. In Trump, Bannon found a petulant Twitterphile and a manipulable tool who has minimal interest in policymaking and little insight into his own limitations. As he sought an upheaval to remake an America rife with perceived threats, Trump was, as Lawrence Douglas wrote, “the proper vehicle to carry the fight forward.” [http://www.salon.com/2017/02/05/steve-bannons-war-with-islam-trump-may-not-even-understand-his-advisers-apocalyptic-vision/](http://www.salon.com/2017/02/05/steve-bannons-war-with-islam-trump-may-not-even-understand-his-advisers-apocalyptic-vision/) Bannon probably considers it worth his while to flatter Trump and tell Trump he’s the Most Important Man Ever To Have Lived (and no doubt he’s said exactly that). After all, who else would go along with Bannon’s desire to see an entire religion eradicated? ---
**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:** [February 12, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/6 "2017-02-12T01:28:48Z")
The thing that is strange is there is no cover story or origin story of this friendship other than really bad hateful connections. No acknowledgement that there are issues here. And when are reporters going to do the deep digging and ask the real questions of these people? I wouldn’t let conway on my network unless she gave me a good reason why Bannon is there. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/7 "2017-02-12T01:42:05Z")
Going back to the '80s, Trump has thought America is getting screwed by other countries and has entertained protectionist ideas. Bannon gave him an intellectual foundation to work with and helped make his campaign credible. I don’t think he’s just another yes man. He’s basically the brains behind the whole Trump movement, similar to Rove and Bush. An interesting guy, for sure. [Business Insider article](http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-bannon-worldview-isis-crony-capitalism-judeo-christian-west-2016-11?r=UK&IR=T) [Hollywood Reporter article](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-bannon-trump-tower-interview-trumps-strategist-plots-new-political-movement-948747) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/8 "2017-02-12T06:21:03Z")
IIRC Bannon was a friend/associate of a billionaire family that dropped a huge amount of money to get Trump elected. They eventually became displeased with how their investment was performing, and installed their own people (Steve Bannon and also Kellyanne Conway) to get things moving in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/9 "2017-02-12T06:57:16Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > IIRC Bannon was a friend/associate of a billionaire family that dropped a huge amount of money to get Trump elected. They eventually became displeased with how their investment was performing, and installed their own people (Steve Bannon and also Kellyanne Conway) to get things moving in the right direction. [Robert Mercer](http://www.newsweek.com/2016/12/02/robert-mercer-trump-donor-bannon-pac-523366.html) ---
**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:** [February 12, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/10 "2017-02-12T18:21:47Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > [Robert Mercer](http://www.newsweek.com/2016/12/02/robert-mercer-trump-donor-bannon-pac-523366.html) Ding ding a winner. And this article published just in time, not. Donnie not so independent as he would claim. Why even type it at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/11 "2017-02-12T19:12:55Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > [Robert Mercer](http://www.newsweek.com/2016/12/02/robert-mercer-trump-donor-bannon-pac-523366.html) Reading that, I was ready to remark that guy was a real-life Professor Moriarty, but then I got to the part about his daughter. I’m at a loss for comparisons. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/12 "2017-02-16T19:50:37Z")
This speech by Steve Bannon to a conference of conservative Catholics at the Vatican, 2014 helps explain some of his positions: Transcript [here](https://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/this-is-how-steve-bannon-sees-the-entire-world) Some excerpts: > [@](#): > > I want to talk about wealth creation and what wealth creation really can achieve and maybe take it in a slightly different direction, because I believe the world, and particularly the Judeo-Christian West, is in a crisis. And it’s really the organizing principle of how we built Breitbart News to really be a platform to bring news and information to people throughout the world. Principally in the West, but we’re expanding internationally to let people understand the depths of this crisis, and it is a crisis both of capitalism but really of the underpinnings of the Judeo-Christian West in our beliefs. > […] > And we’re at the very beginning stages of a very brutal and bloody conflict, of which if the people in this room, the people in the church, do not bind together and really form what I feel is an aspect of the church militant, to really be able to not just stand with our beliefs, but to fight for our beliefs against this new barbarity that’s starting, that will completely eradicate everything that we’ve been bequeathed over the last 2,000, 2,500 years. > […] > And trust me, that is going to come to Europe. That is going to come to Central Europe, it’s going to come to Western Europe, it’s going to come to the United Kingdom. And so I think we are in a crisis of the underpinnings of capitalism, and on top of that we’re now, I believe, at the beginning stages of a global war against Islamic fascism. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/13 "2017-02-17T08:25:52Z")
Ah yes, _The Protocols of the Elders of Mecca_… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/14 "2017-02-17T09:00:21Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > The thing that is strange is there is no cover story or origin story of this friendship other than really bad hateful connections. No acknowledgement that there are issues here. > > And when are reporters going to do the deep digging and ask the real questions of these people? I wouldn’t let conway on my network unless she gave me a good reason why Bannon is there. But you can say this about tax returns, and (lack of) a blind trust, and a hundred other things about trump. Anyone who cares about objective facts and corruption got frustrated and appalled a long time ago. And unfortunately, the millions of people wearing red caps do not belong to that set of people. It’s largely pointless for the news networks to point it out now. I honestly feel like even a recording of an “Election for dropping sanctions” deal, with Trump on the tape, would not change anyone’s mind. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/15 "2017-02-17T12:15:38Z")
[Bannon’s abusive behavior toward his wife](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tja-pKEF_YI) might have led Trump to sense a kindred spirit. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/16 "2017-02-17T15:58:53Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > [Robert Mercer](http://www.newsweek.com/2016/12/02/robert-mercer-trump-donor-bannon-pac-523366.html) What a horrible article. Trump is a businessman and has indicated that he sees money as a way to measure success. This makes him attracted to rich people as advisors. As a self made millionaire Bannon appeals to Trump in a way that most policy advisor would not. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-bannon-why/779572/17 "2017-02-23T00:45:58Z")
I’d like to hear the ex-presidents weigh in on Bannon. They may not want to be critical of trump, but it should be open season on Bannon.