In what will most likely be one of his first post-election appearances, Stephen Bannon, who serves as Donald Trump’s chief campaign manager, will speak at an event in November organized by the virulently anti-Muslim organization the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
Bannon, who was executive chairman of the far-right media outlet Breitbart News LLC before joining the Trump campaign, is scheduled to speak at David Horowitz’s 2016 Restoration Weekend in Palm Beach, Florida on November 10 – 13.
Bannon was brought on to lead Trump’s presidential campaign in August. His hire gained national attention after it seemingly solidified the real estate mogul’s efforts to pander to the Alternative Right movement, or Alt-Right, and the racist, white nationalist ideology associated with it.
READ: MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA: WHAT IS THE “ALT-RIGHT”?
Under Bannon’s direction, Breitbart has become the most aggressive media outlet promoting Alt-Right ideas. In a July interview with Mother Jones, Bannon boasted Breitbart is “the platform for the alt-right.” And prior to his hire, the “news” organization served as a glorified cheerleader for Trump’s presidential run.
In August, The Washington Post wrote, “[Trump’s] strategy now resembles the alt-right dream of maximizing the white vote.”
Indeed, Breitbart has also served as a platform for well-established figures within the organized anti-Muslim movement. Notorious anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney has been a regular guest on Bannon’s radio show. Bannon’s Breitbart has also published numerous columns by Horowitz over the years, including a May 2016 column whose headline labeled conservative commentator and noted Trump skeptic Bill Kristol a “renegade jew.”
Bannon is scheduled to appear alongside various anti-Muslim luminaries at the upcoming Restoration Weekend including David Horowitz Freedom Center employees Robert Spencer and Daniel Greenfield. Breitbart editor and provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos is also slated to attend. Yiannopoulos and the Breitbart team are known for promoting ideas that align with the Alt-Right. In March, Yiannopoulos co-authored an article defending the Alt-Right and the white nationalist figures behind it.
READ: THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER’S EXTREMIST PROFILE ON THE ‘ALT-RIGHT’
When Bannon joined the Trump campaign officially, former Breitbart News editor Ben Shapiro wrote, “With Bannon embracing Trump, all that changed. Now Breitbart has become the alt-right go-to website, with Yiannopoulos pushing white ethno-nationalism as a legitimate response to political correctness, and the comment section turning into a cesspool for white supremacist mememakers.”
Shapiro, of course, was also previously employed by the David Horowitz Freedom Center and wrapped up with the organization’s anti-Muslim bigotry and other problematic rhetoric.
Indeed, David Horowitz himself has long and well-documented history of disparaging Muslims and African Americans as well as defending white nationalists. He has previously advocated against paying reparations for slavery, claiming it would “burden” the African American community with a “crippling sense of victim-hood,” and that it’s not America’s fault “blacks can’t seem to locate the ladder of opportunity.”
Surely, Yiannopoulos and Bannon will find sympathetic audience at the Palm Beach gathering.
The Center for New Community is a 501(c)(3) organization and does not endorse any political parties or candidates for elected office. This post, and any post on Imagine2050, is not intended to support or oppose any candidates for elected office.