The 'Great Trickery'

(Baonghean) - Rarely appearing in public, not as polished and elegant as professional politicians, Steve Bannon - senior strategic advisor of the White House is becoming more and more famous and is considered "the most dangerous political figure in America". This man recently appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the name "The Great Conjurer".

Number 2 powerful character

Like many personnel positions nominated by President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon was also a controversial name when he was introduced to the position of “chief strategist” of Mr. Trump. Bannon was the editor-in-chief of Breitbart News, a famous right-wing site with nationalist colors.

The 62-year-old man was also known as a billionaire in the media and film business. In the race to the White House, Mr. Trump chose Bannon as the Chairman of the election campaign, helping him outline the political and ideological foundation before officially becoming the US President. Not disappointing expectations, Bannon built the image of a different presidential candidate Donald Trump, leading him to the position of the owner of the White House.

Steve Bannon is behind President Trump's important decisions. Photo: Getty

Bannon's statements and statements like "against the ruling elite", "anti-globalization", "establishing a new political order" or "the media is an opposition"... are clearly a "copy" of the new President Trump and are what worries many people.

As chief strategist, Bannon is currently leading a group of senior advisors who outline important plans and policies for Trump. American media revealed that Bannon was the one who wrote Trump's speech on inauguration day. Not only that, after Trump issued the immigration ban on citizens of 7 Muslim countries on January 27, the American press began to "search" for the person behind this controversial decision. And that person is none other than Steve Bannon.

Bannon’s power is further consolidated by his seat on the National Security Council – a membership reserved for defense or foreign officials. This title allows Mr. Bannon to attend top-secret security meetings, while others such as the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are only allowed to attend at the request of the president.

President Trump's close team at the White House said that Steve Bannon was one of the most important figures attending a lunch with British Prime Minister Theresa May in late January, while National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was not present.

The American press recognizes that, with his role and influence on the President's decisions, Steve Bannon is the answer to the question "who is the second most powerful person after Trump" that has been raised recently.

Factors causing "undercurrents"

But because of the concentration of power, Steve Bennon can cause "undercurrents" in the White House. Bennon is not liked by politicians from both the Democratic and Republican factions because many people believe that with his nationalist ideology, one day the far-right and racist ideology will take over the Oval Office of the United States.

Even John Weaver, a political advisor to Ohio Governor John Kasich, wrote on Twitter: “The racist, far-left fascist has represented the steps of the Oval Office. America be very careful.” It can be seen that since taking office, many of the policies that President Trump has put forward with Bennon's colors and ideas have caused fierce debate within the US ruling class.

From the repeal of Obamacare, the end of the TPP to the recent immigration decree... all have caused internal division in the United States. Many Republican congressmen are also concerned that, with a person who once praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Bennon will help President Trump reverse the US-Russia relationship faster than expected.

Time magazine calls Steve Bannon “The Great Conjurer”. Photo: Time

On the other hand, according to The New York Times, White House officials are also divided into factions and a fierce competition for roles and positions in the new cabinet. The internal fighting is clearly shown in two factions, one led by advisor Bannon, the other by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

It is worth noting that Mr. Bannon appears to be in a higher position than Priebus, although normally the White House Chief of Staff is the person who can limit the power of all other senior advisers to the President.

According to The New York Times, the reason Mr. Bannon has such great power is because no one has enough power to counter him. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, although holding the position of senior advisor, seems to be getting used to political life in Washington.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of Trump’s most experienced management advisers, was removed from his position as head of the transition team in November 2016. Meanwhile, Bannon has a policy assistant, Stephen Miller, who is considered “on the same boat,” ready to promote and implement President Trump’s important policies.

Observers say that the early stages of a new administration in the US are always turbulent and it takes time for the balance of power to stabilize. Everything has only just begun and how much influence Chief Advisor Steve Bannon will show continues to be a hot topic.

Thanh Huyen