The return of Bannon, the unkempt cheerleader of far right

Wearing an olive-green jacket over a black shirt, Steve Bannon blew the doors off a subject most other speakers had tiptoed around.

- David Smith

"Media, I want you to suck on this, I want the White House to suck on this: you lost in 2020!" he roared. "Donald Trump is the legitimate president of the United States!" A thrill of transgression swept through the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland. "Trump won!" Bannon barked, pointing a finger. "Trump won!" he repeated, shaking a fist. His audience chanted the brazen lie.

It was a blunt reminder that Bannon, an architect of Trumpism variously compared to Thomas Cromwell, Rasputin and Joseph Goebbels, remains a force in American politics, as the 2024 US presidential election looms into view and the re-election of Trump looks a clear possibility.

The former White House chief strategist may not be in daily contact with Trump any more but it scarcely matters: he is vital for the far-right ecosystem that animates the Make America Great Again (Maga) base.

Bannon, 70, is appealing against a criminal conviction and four-month prison sentence for defying a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.