People are beginning to pay more attention to the man behind the curtain.
It is a mark of Steve Bannon’s extraordinary sway in the Trump White House that a man who has spoken so little in public over the past two weeks is getting so much credit – and blame – for what’s going on.
The conservative media executive’s fingerprints are on virtually every significant move taken by President Donald Trump, from Trump’s sweeping order to suspend the country’s refugee program and block visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries to the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Trump raised eyebrows and hackles when he gave Bannon a seat on a powerful National Security Council. Bannon, a shaggy-haired agitator-turned-insider eager to make a lasting mark on Washington, was a strong advocate for Gorsuch, according to a person who spoke with him recently. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss a private conversation.
Bannon’s early moves to consolidate power haven’t come without pushback.
In a phone call Monday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Acting Secretary of State Tom Shannon asked the White House to take a back seat in cleaning up confusion caused by the chaotic rollout of the immigration order, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about internal government discussions.
Still, the extent of Bannon’s influence was underscored by Trump’s striking decision over the weekend to add his name to the roster of the National Security Council, not typically the province of political advisers.
“Steve’s the main ideological mover of the administration. He’s the chief ideological officer and he has a strong point of view,” said Christopher Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax and a friend of the president. “I think the bond is their world view.”
The 64-year-old Bannon shares Trump’s business and media experience, as well as his dramatic flair. He’s a fellow disrupter who helped Trump capitalize on the populist anger and frustration that propelled them both to the White House.
Rarely seen or heard during Trump’s campaign, Bannon is now a fixture.