Stephen Bannon is putting Trump's disgraced band back together

Stephen Bannon.
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign is in full swing, and it's got some familiar faces on board.

Stephen Bannon, Trump's former campaign CEO and chief strategist, has rounded up the old gang, who are apparently just as loyal to the Trump agenda as ever, Vanity Fair reported Tuesday. Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, his deputy David Bossie, and former national security aide Sebastian Gorka are all ready to reprise their roles as Trump hopes to recapture the energy of his first run for office.

The recurring characters of the operation are back despite myriad falls from grace and personal blow-ups with the president, Vanity Fair reports. After Bannon was reported as saying negative things about Trump, the two became estranged, but Trump can't deny that his former chief strategist knows how to rally his base. Bannon said that they still don't speak to one another, but Lewandowski liaises while Bannon carries on with his MAGA strategizing.

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Lewandowski and Bossie, on the other hand, are back in good standing in the White House, following a period of time when Chief of Staff John Kelly banned them from the West Wing. Trump has apparently sided with his old campaign buddies, inviting them back into the White House despite some very public blunders from each.

Trump's 2020 campaign style is so far echoing much of his 2016 campaign, with chants of "lock her up" still riling up crowds and calls to "build the wall" still relevant. Bannon admitted that things are different this time around, but thinks the same team can carry Trump to victory a second time. Only he and other Trump loyalists "understand Trump's message, understand Trump, understand the base," he said, and only they can "take him to the next level." Read more at Vanity Fair.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

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.