Stephen Bannon is now pro-establishment


Now that President Trump has taken charge of the Washington swamp, Stephen Bannon wants GOP hopefuls to stop trying to drain it.
Candidates running on the Republican ticket keep trying to follow in Trump's footsteps and campaign on an anti-establishment platform, reports The New York Times, but the president's former chief strategist thinks that's a losing strategy now that Trump is the establishment.
"People are starting to realize that the anti-establishment thing is kind of a luxury we can't afford right now," Bannon told the Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's a far cry from Bannon's previously held views. The former chairman of Breitbart once sought to buck the system, calling for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) to be removed from his seat and hoping for a populist revolt to "take back the government" by rejecting the "political class."
Now that that strategy has failed for fringe GOP candidates like Don Blankenship in West Virginia and Trump has somewhat embraced the swampy political strategizing, Bannon is reframing his opinions on what "taking back the government" should look like. Rebellious candidates should hold their fire on the failing status quo that overlooks the working class, says Bannon, lest it appear that their anti-establishment views are anti-Trump. Read more at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Japan's surname conundrum
Under the Radar Law requiring couples to share one surname hinders women in the workplace and lowers birth rate, campaigners claim
-
How successful would Elon Musk's third party be?
Today's Big Question Musk has vowed to start a third party after falling out with Trump
-
Music reviews: Bruce Springsteen and Benson Boone
Feature "Tracks II: The Lost Albums" and "American Heart"
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible