Steve Bannon Predicts 50 Years of MAGA

Steve Bannon has reportedly predicted that the Make America Great Again movement "will govern the United States for 50 years," while claiming that Donald Trump "will go down as the best president since Abraham Lincoln."

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, the former White House adviser to the former president reiterated the false claim that Trump won the 2020 election, and foresaw the Republican presidential favorite would win in November by "a massive frickin' landslide."

The Context

Bannon served as Trump's chief strategist during his term in the White House after running the alt-right media website Breitbart. He was seen by many as a key driving force behind the former president's ideological stance during the latter half of his 2016 campaign and the first part of his presidency.

It is unclear whether he would be part of another Trump White House were the former president to beat Joe Biden this year.

The two men's relationship quickly soured while in the White House and Bannon was among several officials to leave after a matter of months. Michael Wolff's 2018 book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House said that Bannon became increasingly frustrated with the disorganization of the White House that was hindering his right-wing agenda, and began briefing against rival factions.

Bannon's comments to Wolff quoted in the book prompted Trump to disavow his former adviser, saying he "lost his mind" and giving him the moniker "Sloppy Steve."

Yet, Bannon has continued to support Trump in public, leading to a warming of sentiments. In August 2019, Trump wrote that he "loved working with" Bannon.

Bannon's latest comments suggest he still views Trump as the centerpiece of the MAGA movement. According to the latest YouGov poll of 1,360 registered voters, conducted between February 18-20, Trump has a one-point lead on Biden heading into the presidential election.

What We Know

During his remarks, Bannon expressed a desire for the MAGA movement to reach out to the Black community to win votes for Trump in the 2024 election—something he struggled to do in 2020, winning over just 12 percent of Black voters.

Polling suggests Biden is losing support among Black voters in key states, amid growing dissatisfaction with the president among voters he is looking to court.

Views

While many of Bannon's comments were met with rapturous applause by those attending the CPAC event, they have attracted criticism from some Democrats.

"How does MAGA rule for 50 years? As a dictatorship? Or a fascist monarchy of Trump's children?" Bob Krause, a former Iowa state lawmaker and president of the Veterans National Recovery Center, wrote. "Just so you know what the cult's thinking today. Straight from Philosopher King Steve Bannon."

What's Next?

As well as featuring a host of conservative commentators and politicians, Trump is scheduled to address the CPAC gathering at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, as he has done in previous years. Bannon has a slot to speak on the main stage later the same day.