As Trump weighs bombing Iran, Steve Bannon has his ear
Steve Bannon is a speaker. All you have to do is set up a problem he wants to discuss, and the former chief strategist for President Donald Trump will talk about it. Mr. Bannon – A great influencer from Maga and Podcaster – was the star guest during an instructor breakfast this week, and he did not disappoint.
Bannon maintained the Israeli-Iranian conflict compared to the latter’s nuclear program, and his opinion that the United States should not intervene directly. He complained about the “media apparatus of the former republican party, the national journal, Fox News” and “types for war forever”. The Second World War is there, he said, and the base of Trump is divided. But if the United States attacks Iranian nuclear installations, Mr. Bannon predicted that most Trump supporters would come together behind him.
The discussion had contravened and was widely covered in the main media. Cameron Joseph of the instructor wrote his story at the table while we were talking. Our YouTube video can be consulted here.
The value of our breakfasts also shone in the opportunity to interact in person with a journalist. Mr. Bannon is known for his appearance disabled in time, but this Wednesday morning at St. Régis Washington, he was shaved and wore a jacket, and his long hair was combed. He had a pile of newspapers printed under his arm, which he plunged to the table, the Financial Times on the top.
It was also a pleasure to present the Magi Firebrand to certain liberal colleagues, notably Bill Press, the former co-host of CNN “Crossfire” and now a podcaster and columnist. “Blessed me, father, because I have sinned,” he wrote, a language in the cheek, in his commentary. “I had breakfast with Steve Bannon.”
And here it is, Mr. Press found common ground with Mr. Bannon, including his conclusion that Israel should “finish what he started” without the help of us, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to head to the United States to join his war.
Another friend on the other side of the table, George Condon of the National Journal, says that he had a kick to have watched me try to interrupt Mr. Bannon. Indeed, with 30 journalists in the play, I wanted to repress as many questions as possible. But he was skilful enough to speak in paragraphs without stopping to breathe. Mr. Bannon said he had to leave 10 minutes earlier for an appointment, but when he came, he called an assistant on the other side of the room, “tell them that I will be late.”
Bannon also quickly rejected the questions he did not want to discuss – as during his last word with the president. But Thursday morning, after being seen entering the west wing, he confirmed to me that he was there three hours and had lunch with Potus.
“He wanted to be breakfast with Christian Science Monitor,” said Mr. Bannon by SMS.
Trump announced Thursday afternoon announced that he would decide his action plan on Iran in the next two weeks.
The time of our breakfast has in fact proved to be fortuitous, given the urgency of the news. We installed it a month ago, noted Mr. Bannon when we sat down. “I suppose in some ways,” he said, “it is divine Providence that we are here.”
