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Steve
Bannon holds up a copy of the Financial Times while speaking to members
of the media outside US District Court House © Stefani Reynolds/AFP via
Getty Images The
Financial Times does not often feature in Washington legal dramas. Last
week, however, the pink ’un took centre stage on the court steps — at
least visually and symbolically. The
reason? On Friday, Steve Bannon, the former adviser to Donald Trump and
intellectual godfather to the Make America Great Again movement, was convicted
of contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with the
congressional inquiry into his role in the January 6 uprising. In theory
this implies that he could receive up to two years in jail, when the
sentencing takes place in October. But he plans to appeal (which could
take two years to hear). And he announced these plans with a copy of the Financial Times in hand, waving it to the cameras, as a prop. We
would love to think that this is simply because the FT is essential
reading (which it is). But as Bannon explained to me yesterday, in his
typically emotive style, there is a bigger message here. “I read the FT
cover to cover each day because this is the paper of the liberal global
order and the party of Davos,” he says. “But the liberal global order is
coming crashing down and a populist, nationalist uprising is coming —
there is a big tectonic shift coming. So I say that the must-reads for
my audience are the FT, Economist and Guardian, to understand this
liberal global order.” Now
I daresay that some members of this “liberal global order” (and FT
audience) might roll their eyes at this — or wince in disgust. And, as
part of that globalist tribe, I personally disagree and dislike many of
Bannon’s views. But whatever you think of the man, it is worth listening
for at least three reasons. The
first is that Bannon is deeply convinced that Trump is going to stage a
come back; indeed, many of his supporters expect that Trump will
declare his intention to run for presidency in the next couple of weeks.
Secondly,
Friday’s conviction of Bannon and last week’s televised investigation
of the January 6 uprising have not dented the Trump posse’s belief that
he can come back. Democrats might find this hard to believe given the
shocking images from Thursday’s January 6 inquiry: who can forget Josh
Hawley, the far-right senator, giving a fist pump to the rioters — and
then sprinting away later,
in fear; or the secret service officers with Mike Pence, the
vice-president, calling their families to say goodbye since they thought
they would die; or Trump repeatedly refusing to admit that he had lost
the election, in camera out-takes. Indeed, the material was so damning
that many observers presumed that this ruled out any chance of another
Trump run. But
Bannon insists that the hearings simply revved up Trump’s base even
more, and that a combination of economic pain, high energy prices and
anger about the war in Ukraine will create a MAGA landslide this autumn.
Indeed, he argues that the fall of leaders such as Mario Draghi show
that the “globalists” are already in retreat (again). And argues that if
the Republicans win the House in November, which they seem likely to
do, they will stage their own rerun of the January 6 hearings that will
clear President Trump’s name and “get to the bottom of the entire story”
(and, one presumes, take revenge on their critics.) “President Trump
and MAGA will demand it, a real investigation with Jordan, Banks, Gaetz,
MTG [Marjorie Taylor Greene], and others,” said Bannon, adding,
“McCarthy won’t be Speaker unless he signs on.” Some
Republicans might beg to differ. It is notable that Pence (who is
reportedly mulling a presidential run himself in 2024), has refrained
from commenting on the investigation into the Capitol riots. “Some
people want this election to be about the past, but elections are always
about the future,” he tweeted on Friday. “If the Republican Party allows itself to become consumed by yesterday’s grievances, we will lose.” To
my mind, there is one — crystal clear — message in all of this: the
last year’s events have shattered popular trust in the rule of law and
legal process among Democrats and Republicans alike. That is ominous;
whatever you think of Bannon and his FT prop. |