I was sitting in Steve Bannon’s Washington living room in 2019. By then populists had already racked up some big wins — Brexit in Britain, Trump’s victory in 2016. Bannon knew I opposed him in every particular and abhorred much of what he said, but he laid out his grand vision cheerfully, confidently. I found Bannon, currently the host of the podcast “War Room,” to be embroiled and embattled as usual. I should emphasize that I wasn’t trying to debate Bannon or rebut his beliefs; I wanted to understand how he sees the current moment.

Source: The Times July 01, 2024 15:25 UTC