Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon, born Stephen Kevin Bannon on November 27, 1953 in Norfolk, Virginia, is a controversial figure whose career spans military service, high finance, media production, and political strategy. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in urban planning, he served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant from 1976 to 1983, where he earned a master's in national security studies from Georgetown and later an MBA from Harvard, experiences that forged his anti‑establishment worldview. Bannon entered the private sector as a vice‑president at Goldman Sachs, helping the firm expand into Hollywood before founding the boutique investment bank Bannon & Co., which secured stakes in shows like Seinfeld and generated lifelong residuals. In the 1990s he directed the Biosphere 2 project, produced eighteen Hollywood films, and co‑founded the far‑right website Breitbart News in 2007, eventually becoming its executive chairman and shaping its nationalistic editorial tone. As a political strategist, he served as chief executive of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, later appointed senior counselor and chief strategist to the president, where he pushed an aggressive populist agenda, clashed with establishment Republicans, and helped craft Executive Order 13769. After leaving the White House in 2017, Bannon attempted to build a global “infrastructure” for populist movements, traveling across Europe and advising leaders in Brazil and elsewhere, while also hosting the War Room podcast and remaining active in media. His legal troubles include convictions for contempt of Congress (2022) and involvement in the “We Build the Wall” fraud scheme, leading to imprisonment, a presidential pardon, and ongoing state charges. Despite these setbacks, Bannon continues to influence right‑wing discourse through publishing, speaking engagements, and digital platforms.