Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon believes Sen. Bernie Sanders is fairing well in the Democratic presidential primary because of momentum provided by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of his campaign.
Speaking with GZERO Media’s Ian Bremmer on Monday, Bannon lauded the “star power” of Ocasio-Cortez and said her stump speeches while Sanders participated in President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial have helped propel the Vermont senator to front-runner status.
“The wattage you have, AOC, who by the way, Bernie’s surge has come since the time Bernie’s been in the Senate, on trial, and she’s been the surrogate out there,” he said.
Ocasio-Cortez was a major figure at Sanders’s campaign rallies while the senator attended Trump’s trial. The freshman Democrat from New York energized fans in Iowa, where some Sanders supporters claimed they “need” her to get the candidate’s “message across.”
“She’s the star power, but obviously, she’s not eligible for the presidency,” Bannon said. “Everybody else besides that has no star power at all.”
Ocasio-Cortez makes up one-fourth of “the Squad,” a group of liberal female lawmakers intent on pushing the Democratic Party farther left. This month, Trump predicted Ocasio-Cortez would run against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for his seat in 2024 and “kick his ass.”
