Steve Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News and former chief strategist for President Trump, is scheduled to give a speech later this month to a group of black entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C.
The group, a super PAC named “Black Americans for a Better Future”, describes its mission as getting “more Blacks involved in the Republican party.” The PAC receives the majority of its funding from Robert Mercer, a hedge fund manager and Trump backer.
Since leaving the White House, Bannon hasn’t shied away from the public eye, speaking in Hong Kong to Chinese investors earlier this week. He is also planning to speak at University of California, Berkeley as a part of Free Speech Week later this month.
Last year, Bannon declared Breitbart as a platform for the alt-right, a movement often associated with white nationalist ideals.
But Raynard Jackson, founder and chairman of BAFBF, told the Huffington Post he thinks of Bannon as a “good friend”, adding that “I’ve known Steve a long time. You can call Steve a lot of things ― racist ain’t one of them.”
Jackson emphasized Bannon’s business experience as a major reason why he was invited to speak at the black entrepreneurs summit.
“Again, most people forget about Steve having a Wall Street background,” Jackson said. “Steve understands the economics of the small business community better than a lot of people in this town.”
Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager, is also scheduled to speak at the event, along with Reps. Pete Sessions and Paul Gosar.
